March Pump 809 HS Problems!?!?!?

So, here it is:

I have a March Pump 809 HS. I used it on my first 3-tier session a little over a month ago with no issue. I tried to use it yesterday with Denny's Rye PA and I couldn't get flow going. The pump made its usual humming noise and I didn't smell any burning. There was NO FLOW. It seems like it wouldn't, or couldn't keep its, prime.

Now, I must also point out that this is the first beer in which I didn't use hop bags, so it is possible that the dip tube was getting slightly clogged so I was perpetually losing my prime.

I plan on trying this again with a keg full of water as a test. I will keep my outlet closed and my inlets open on both the pump and the keg. I will then try to allow the pump to prime and then slowly open the outlet to see if flow starts. Before I do that, however, I am going to take apart the head to make sure there aren't any hops keeping the impeller from spinning.

If the head was damaged, how would I know? I am sure the motor is okay, because the fan is blowing inside of it.

Thanks for any insight,
Mike

I'd wager a good amount of money that you've got a clog, or at least the tube was clogging just enough to keep a decent flow from going to the pump. I've started using hop bags with every batch, it just makes life SO much easier. Used to clog all the time when I was throwing them in there loose, biggest PITA in the world. Besides, if you use a big enough bag, I'm not convinced you hurt efficiency to any noticeable degree.

Thankfully I haven't blown up my pump yet, but I believe that it'll start making a horrible noise (grinding or whining) if you've damaged it.

Thanks for the quick response! That is what I thought too. I used to use bags, but then I saw home much hop utilization went up without them and wanted to try it for this batch. Big mistake. Lesson learned. Don't stray from the norm on too many things at once!

Even if you DO lose a little efficiency, people talk about what... maybe 10% or 15% efficiency? If we were still in the middle of the hop crisis and paying $6 an ounce, MAYBE I'd worry about that. The way I see it, don't skimp on the hops, and if you use a good-sized bag where the hops have plenty of room to move around I don't see how the efficiency could be negatively impacted very much.

Make sure the rod is lubed well. I had a brewday where I could not get get it going at all. I put lube on the rod and it worked great.

Julohan said:

Make sure the rod is lubed well. I had a brewday where I could not get get it going at all. I put lube on the rod and it worked great.

Click to expand...

Is this an advert for KY Jelly? For those times when wetting your rod just isn't enough.

In all seriousness, it sounds like you didn't adequately clean the pump after the last use and the impeller was "glued" to the housing.

Most definitely a clog, gotta love hop bags, yes it is nice to just toss it in the kettle but in the end it really isnt worth all of the hassle..

Cheers

If it doesnt turn out to be a clog then i suspect it may be the impeller seized on the shaft. I have more then a few pumps returned under the same situation. They all say they used the pumps 3-4 times and now it doesnt run. Motor turns but no flow. If your setup is the same as previous then most likely theres crud buildup between the impeller and shaft. You can take the pump head apart and clean off the shaft.....i would also get yourself a 17/64" drill bit and open the ID of the impeller up a tad. Wont hurt performance of the pump at all but will help in lubrication and cleanout in the future.
-Walter

I have used mine twice, and thought I had an issue the 2nd time. I think the lines sometims develop an airlock, so the fluid does not make it all the way to the pump.