How many pumps ???

Posted this in the Beginners section yesterday but maybe this isa a better place.

I'm a lapsed brewer and have just gotten the bug again after 10 years. I am in the process of putting together an electric HERMS system and have been checking out various schematics.

I've seen systems with 1, 2 and 3 pumps. How many pumps would be optimal? I want to keep it simple so I'm inclined to go one pump.

Could anyone point out the pro's and cons ?

3 tiers - no pumps
2 tiers - 1 pump
1 tier - 2 pumps
Can't find a use for a third pump

Thanks mpcluewer, that makes perfect sense.

I'm doing a single tier system and wondered whether, with the right combination of valves and plumbing, I could not get away with one pump ?

I'd like to understand why are 2 pumps preferable?

For a HERMS system, you need one pump to be used to constantly circulate the wort through the heat exchanger. You can use the other pump to recirculate the water in the HLT to prevent stratification.

When you start to send the wort over to the kettle, you use one pump to transfer to kettle and the other pump to move the sparge water from the HLT over the top of the grains in the MLT.

Great, now I understand.

Thanks guys !!!!

mpcluever said:

3 tiers - no pumps
2 tiers - 1 pump
1 tier - 2 pumps
Can't find a use for a third pump

Click to expand...

Have to modify this to include the possibility for batch sparging.

3 tiers no pumps no matter what.
2 tiers - 1 pump
1 tier - 2 pumps to fly sparge, 1 pump to batch sparge.

Thanks Bobby. I should also point out that once you go above 5 gallons with a 3 tier system, unless you have a burner on the top tier for the HLT, you may need to heat water in the BK and then pump up top as lifting 5-7 gallons of 180 degree water can be very dangerous.

I just use one pump on my keggle system and accomplish a relatively decent fly sparge by simply pouring the water over the mash paddle as the pump pushes the wort from the mash tun to the boil kettle. Two pumps would be nice though

I have 3 pumps on my HERMS system. I use 1 pump to recirculate water through the HLT to get nice even heating.

mmmbeer said:

I have 3 pumps on my HERMS system. I use 1 pump to recirculate water through the HLT to get nice even heating.

Click to expand...

What are the other 2 pumps doing during that time? I understand using a pump to recirc the HLT and another to pump wort through the coil, but can't think what the 3rd pump would be doing.

mpcluever said:

Thanks Bobby. I should also point out that once you go above 5 gallons with a 3 tier system, unless you have a burner on the top tier for the HLT, you may need to heat water in the BK and then pump up top as lifting 5-7 gallons of 180 degree water can be very dangerous.

Click to expand...

That's true. A pump would also allow you to reduce the height of all the tiers since you can pump the BK out into the fermenter. In that way, the BK only has to be high enough to drain to the pump.

I use two pumps. During mash rest, my kettle pump is doing a CIP/sani on the kettle and heat exchanger. At the end of the sani, the pump and heat exchanger stay packed with StarSan and left connected to the kettle's quick disconnects. My HLT pump handles RIMS and recirc. Those lines and pump are thoroughly rinsed when they are used for the fly sparge with 170F water. At the end of the boil, the kettle pump is used to push all sani out of the lines and heat exchanger. When it becomes wort, the pump discharge is reconnected to the whirlpool inlet and spun for about 5 minutes. Whirlpool rest for 15 minutes, then heat exchanger water on, pump outlet to the fermenter, and use the valve on the kettle pump outlet to control cast rate/temp.



The photo shows the kettle pump in recirc (whirlpool or CIP) and HLT pump in sparge. I also recirc my HLT during heating to speed it up and get a better sample of temp. The thermometer is in direct contact of water that is leaving the HLT as it leaves the HLT.

The extra valve on my kettle is the low point pickup for recirc. The kettle heat is used to heat mash runoff for mash temp rise.