Bayite tan pump - are they actually food safe?

[JimmyN]

I bought two of these recently and decided to test them with boiling water instead of wort, and noticed an oil slick in my kettle after circulating. Upon finding this, I took the pumps apart and found the insides coated in a dark gray grease. I know these are advertised as food safe but can they really be?

https://www.amazon.com/bayite-BYT-7...p&qid=1560452715&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

 

[Big Monk]

I bought two of these recently and decided to test them with boiling water instead of wort, and noticed an oil slick in my kettle after circulating. Upon finding this, I took the pumps apart and found the insides coated in a dark gray grease. I know these are advertised as food safe but can they really be?

https://www.amazon.com/bayite-BYT-7...p&qid=1560452715&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

Did you perform a cleaning cycle on them?

 

[ramjam]

i use one of these all the time, it works great

 

[sicktght311]

I use one to stir my HLT, and then to move water from the HLT through the Herms coil and out to the MT for sparging. I'm 6 months into use with it and i've never had a problem, and no residue. Heck i havent even cleaned my HLT once since i started brewing on this system since the whole thing is spotless after each brew day

 

[augiedoggy]

I bought two of these recently and decided to test them with boiling water instead of wort, and noticed an oil slick in my kettle after circulating. Upon finding this, I took the pumps apart and found the insides coated in a dark gray grease. I know these are advertised as food safe but can they really be?

https://www.amazon.com/bayite-BYT-7...p&qid=1560452715&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

they are foodsafe.
Unlike virtually all the other "plastic solar water pumps" these pumps are actually designed to be used for food grade applications such as drinking fountains and larger cappachino machines. they use a high temp stable type of plastic called pps if I rememebr correctly and the shafts are stainless with ceramic bushings as well as an encapsulated magnet/impeller assembly which most of the other pumps do not. many of the other plastic pumps are made of plastics that are only rated to be foodsafe up to 170 degrees like the inside of many coolers made from the same plastic.
these pumps are made in multiple factories by multiple companies and sold under many different brand names.. I have 8 of them from various places and in both 12v and the more powerful 24v configurations. I have never seen the grease you refer to myself. Ive been using them for over 5 years now in my homebrew setup.
perhaps that particular pump has gotton this film from somewhere else? have you cleaned and removed the nasty manufacturing oils the fittings and kettles would have on them if they were new? honeslty due to the nature of the design of the pump there is no reason for any grease to even be used in them. the design is like you would find in an aquarium powerhead again besides the sealed encapulated magnet that would otherwise not be foodgrade and the PPS plastic and stainless plate behind the impeller.

btw they are rated for temps up to 212 but they will warp and seize up from cavitation as well as the temps if you actually try to pump liquid while your still applying head at boiling temps. I have burned them up trying this as well as other on this forum.
No homebrewing pump is designed to reliably take the abuse from actually pumping 212 degree boiling liquid for more than short periods of time.

 

[augiedoggy]

here is a vendor that advertises as such...
http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eB...tegory=115710&pm=1&ds=0&t=1543387738000&ver=0

http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eB...506&category=115710&pm=1&ds=0&t=1560525188149

US solar used to rebrand and sell these pumps too but this is the closest one I can find at the moment.
https://www.ussolarpumps.com/catalog/circulating-pumps/submersible-pumps/a3-circulating-pump/