March or Chugger Pump?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
hammis

hammis

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2010
Messages
298
Reaction score
9
Location
canada
Guys,

I need your advice, i need to buy a pump sometime this week (due to shipping reasons). And i can't decide between the tried and tested march 809 or the new, shiny looking, cheaper chugger pump.

Thought?
 
wow 99 dollars and free shipping. i wish i could answer this for you, because if it is a good replacement i don't think you could beat the price. Not having the stainless head really dropped the price compared to the one that did a few weeks ago on ebay. hope you get a knowledgeable answer soon.
 
so i went for it and bought the chugger pump, we will see what happens.....
 
that is what i would have done but i am very curious to hear you report back. I need a pump too and that looks a little better price wise
 
i've got the pump, waiting for some tubing from mcmaster carr, should be here this week, hoping to test it all this week/ next weekend
 
ok so my high temp silicone hose came in today, looks sweet. I haven't decided if i should just test the pump as is, or if I should get my electrical panel wired up before i test it. We will see what happens.
 
I brewed my first batch using the chugger last weekend. I've never used a March, so I can't give a side by side comparison but I'm happy with the purchase. As I've read with the march, priming took a little getting used to but wasn't too challenging. Other than that, it was quiet, moved fluid at a reasonable rate, and did what it was supposed to do. Probably not that different from the March. The real test will be how long it lasts. No word on that yet.
 
thanks for the update chicagobrew. I'm trying to finish my control panel tomorrow/friday after which point my pump will be wired up and i should be able to test it out.

cheers!
 
bumping this to see if there are any other updates and if anyone noticed a difference between the stainless steel pump head vs the food grade plastic? with a $20 difference in price, wondering whether the SS is that much better.
 
My thoughts on the stainless head is simply that stainless is harder to strip out if it needs to be dismantled, and warpage should be non existent, not that it is much of an issue in the composite head from what I understand.
 
I have a March and a Chugger on my stand and they both work identical. If I had it to again I'd get the stainless head just because it's so pretty :) honestly the plastic has been fine so far
 
azscoob said:
My thoughts on the stainless head is simply that stainless is harder to strip out if it needs to be dismantled, and warpage should be non existent, not that it is much of an issue in the composite head from what I understand.
Click to expand...

Not only is it better for re-threading, but it will take a direct hit much better than the plastic ones (believe me I know). I tend to think that with the plastic heads that they are being stressed with a metal pipe fitting on them and getting smacked just right will snap it off.

I have not seen any difference in performance between the two (speaking of the heads only as all my pumps are March).
 
I just ordered a Chugger Pump for $79 with free shipping!!!

I already got a March pump and was planning to get another but $79 was to good of a deal to pass. Did I mentioned free shipping :)!

1
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220667100055&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Hope this helps.

Cheers! :tank:
 
For what it's worth my chugger is a _______ Ill never buy another.

The cord is to short( 3 FEET ) other than that its fine.
6 foot cord on the march from what I understand.
 
I don't like splices in my cords either, but I like having a stainless head for 109 shipped even more than I dislike splices!
 
i have used my chugger for two batches and dont see any reason to get a march. i just finished building a tool box housing w/ a weather prof switch and gfic outlet all connected by a 25foot ext cord. make sure you protect whatever you get.
 
ParadiseBeer said:
i have used my chugger for two batches and dont see any reason to get a march. i just finished building a tool box housing w/ a weather prof switch and gfic outlet all connected by a 25foot ext cord. make sure you protect whatever you get.
Click to expand...

What size tool box did you use? I'm planning to do the same thing but Ive been buying individual parts to save money, not knowing the actual sizes of any pumps. I figure that i can use the tools boxes if the pump doesnt fit. Im planning on a switch to 2 outlets and then 2 steady running outlets.

Show a couple of pics of your pump housing enclosure.
 
got mine in the day after ordering, shipping was super fast, the stainless threads don't look too bad, the brand logo is clear, looks better than some pictures i have seen. packaging is secure, dis-assembly instructions included,can't wait to use it!
 
DakotaRules said:
What size tool box did you use? I'm planning to do the same thing but Ive been buying individual parts to save money, not knowing the actual sizes of any pumps. I figure that i can use the tools boxes if the pump doesnt fit. Im planning on a switch to 2 outlets and then 2 steady running outlets.

Show a couple of pics of your pump housing enclosure.
Click to expand...

here are my picks of my chugger in a toolbox. i picked everthing up from homedepot last night and did the entire project in 2 hours. have not tested yet, but sure it will work. i was thinking of using two switches, one controlling the pump and one controlling another two plug gfic outlet. after thinking about it for a bit, i am not sure why i would need this. if i have something else i need to shut off it will prob be a another pump. so i left mine as one switch. i took the 25foot outdoor ext cord and cut the end off, 10" and ran that out of the switch. then cut another 16" section to go between the outlet and the switch and then the end of the cord comes in the back and into the gfic plug. no need any other wireing, just a few wire end caps and some time. i cut a 2 1/4" hole on the end to put the pump head though and mounted the pump to a short pice of ipe wood. good luck and if you have any question please let me know, very easy project and with the cost of the pump worth protecting and having a nice switch next to it.

1181-chugger-pump-toolbox.jpg


1180-waterprof-switch.jpg


1179-gfic-outlet-always.jpg


with cutting the end off the ext cord i can still use the pump w/ the reg ext end.
1178-inside-wireing.jpg
 
ParadiseBeer said:
here are my picks of my chugger in a toolbox. i picked everthing up from homedepot last night and did the entire project in 2 hours. have not tested yet, but sure it will work. i was thinking of using two switches, one controlling the pump and one controlling another two plug gfic outlet. after thinking about it for a bit, i am not sure why i would need this. if i have something else i need to shut off it will prob be a another pump. so i left mine as one switch. i took the 25foot outdoor ext cord and cut the end off, 10" and ran that out of the switch. then cut another 16" section to go between the outlet and the switch and then the end of the cord comes in the back and into the gfic plug. no need any other wireing, just a few wire end caps and some time. i cut a 2 1/4" hole on the end to put the pump head though and mounted the pump to a short pice of ipe wood. good luck and if you have any question please let me know, very easy project and with the cost of the pump worth protecting and having a nice switch next to it.

1181-chugger-pump-toolbox.jpg


1180-waterprof-switch.jpg


1179-gfic-outlet-always.jpg


with cutting the end off the ext cord i can still use the pump w/ the reg ext end.
1178-inside-wireing.jpg
Click to expand...

Looks very nice but I would be concerened about the cooling of the motor. They have those open frames for a reason. Good idea but you need to think of cooling or you will be buying a motor unless you only run for a short time. not trying to be negative but want to save you some greif down the road. When i installed motors in a wet enviorment i made a doghouse to protect them. Usually open on the botom for cooling.
 
I ordered a stainless chugger last month, just got everything plumbed up on the stand and had an issue with the pump. I emailed them for support and they replied with a tracking number for the new pump and a spare head for my trouble. That's some serious customer service. I can't speak for the pump yet but with support like that, I don't expect any issues.
 
Guys, thanks for all the great responses. Unfortunately i still havent had a chance to try out my chugger pump (its still sitting in the box), work and life have been insane. I did however just score 2 corny's + CO2 tank + regulator + all hosing for $125. so it seems like everything is coming together nicely. hopefully ill be able to test the pump out and actually brew before Christmas.
 
I bought a Chugger SS head for my March last month. I cleaned all the machining oil off of it. Looks good and works great. As he stated when he started making these, that the inlet and outlet hole are not centric. But it does not seem to bother the performance of the pump at all. I have my old March head as a backup if I ever need it. His customer support was awesome. Shipping all the way up here to Alaska was quick and cheap. Some people think that Ak is in another country so they stick us pretty good with the shipping. Not this guy.
Bottom line, a great product at a great price. Just like so many of the vendors on here.
 
jayrodoh said:
I ordered a stainless chugger last month, just got everything plumbed up on the stand and had an issue with the pump. I emailed them for support and they replied with a tracking number for the new pump and a spare head for my trouble. That's some serious customer service. I can't speak for the pump yet but with support like that, I don't expect any issues.
Click to expand...

What sort of an issue did it have?
 
Spyksman said:
What sort of an issue did it have?
Click to expand...

Motor wouldn't spin when attached to the pump. Appears the mag coupler sticks out too far.

The replacement was good to go and absolutely works as advertised. I get plenty of flow from my HLT up through the HERMS and up to the MLT. It's nice and quiet and smooth running. A big thumbs up from me on the performance and cust service! :tank:
 

Similar threads

J
March pump fittings?
Replies
18
Views
774
day_trippr
day_trippr
E
Sold SOLD - 20 Gallon E-HERMS brewing system. SC
Replies
4
Views
524
LakeHartwellSkier
LakeHartwellSkier
L
SSBrewTech 3" TC CIP Spray Ball max pressure
Replies
3
Views
488
Deadalus
Deadalus
sibelman
Small plumbing challenge: peristaltic pump for controlled fly-sparging
Replies
30
Views
902
sibelman
sibelman
maddjaxx
Sold March 815 SS pumps
Replies
1
Views
528
maddjaxx
maddjaxx
SSBrew 300

Latest posts

Back
Top