Best pump?

[brewerswife1]

I would like to buy a pump for my husband. He has looked at them for months, but I cannot remember which he has settled on. Could someone recommend a good pump - high quality, good value? Any help is appreciated!

Cheers!

 

[wildwest450]

March 809 is the most popular choice. I have two of them, and they work well.


http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/March-809HS-Beer-Pump.html



_

 

[brewerswife1]

Thanks! That just might be the one he was looking at. He's only getting one for now.

 

[BendBrewer]

Thanks! That just might be the one he was looking at. He's only getting one for now.

That's the one he wants. If he mentions a second one, just tell him, "You're just going to have to batch sparge honey."

 

[stevo155]

Can I send you my wife's email address?

 

[brewerswife1]

Can I send you my wife's email address?

Ha! I benefit directly, so I don't mind putting a little money into it. Now only if he'd start making gin too...

 

[wildwest450]

Also you MAY be able to get a better deal on ebay, if you're comfortable with that. 2 things to look for, make sure it's 115v and not 240v. Also, most of the pumps on ebay come without plug ends and need to be wired, so if the old man isn't handy, maybe you can do it.

_

 

[BendBrewer]

Ha! I benefit directly, so I don't mind putting a little money into it. Now only if he'd start making gin too...

What a lucky guy.....

 

[wyzazz]

I'm going to buck the trend and say that I love my LG 3-MD-HC, it's way more powerful than a March 809 & cost is around the same. However, the March is absolutely the most popular.

 

[kickflip_mj]

Best wife ever.

 

[brewerswife1]

Thank you all for your help! I will look into ebay for whatever I end up getting (bargain hunting is the only thing I like more than beer). I'm going to see if I can slyly find out which pump he has his little heart set on.

Thanks again.

 

[kickflip_mj]

Hands down best pump is March 809. Almost everyone on this forum that uses pumps has this.

 

[shushikiary]

So I'll speak up here for once about pumps, usually just leerk, haha.

I went back and fourth on the march 809 vs the LG 3-MD-HC series pumps quite a bit. I finally got the LG pump.

There are a few major advantages to the LG's IMO. One they never have to be oiled (the 809 states it should be oiled once a year), second they have curved veins in them on the pump head instead of straight ones, this has helped A LOT during boil recirc to prevent cavitation and loss of prime, third they can run dry for up to 8 hours, and fourth they also have a higher flow rate for the same head, and a higher head pressure.

The down sides are that they are usually about 50-80 bucks more expensive depending on the price you can find. There has been talk of non food safe "lube" on the ceramic shaft that the head sits on but mine sure didnt have it and the spec sheet didnt mention it, I'm running just fine without any. The LG pump IMO is slightly harder to clean than the 809 because of the extra parts exposed to wort, but it's not that much harder and just as easy to take apart. People also say it's rated for 200 deg F but I called the vendor and asked them about that and they said that that rating is for it while it's under pressure, sense in brewing the system is not under pressure the rating is closer to 250 deg F.

Spec sheet for 809: http://www.pumpvendor.com/media/march/pdf/March_809-AC_high_speed_series.pdf

Spec sheet for LG 3-MD-HC series: http://www.franklin-electric.com/media/documents/995777.pdf

So that's my 2 cents... I know I flow against the grain, haha.

 

[Catt22]

I've been using the Little_Giant 3-MD-MT-HC pump on my system for more than six years with zero problems. I actually find it much easier to disassemble and clean than the March 809's. I also run it in a vertical position with the pump head down which you are not supposed to do with a March pump.

The urban legend about some type of "lube" on the impeller shaft is not true. I checked with the factory on that and they confirmed it was B.S. The shaft is lubed by the fluid pumped. IIRC, most mag drive pumps are designed this way.

I like that the L.G. runs much quieter than the March, but I don't know why that is.

 

[milldoggy]

Check out chuggerpumps, not sure if they are back in stock yet or not, but they are nice. He also sells march. I really like my stainless head chuggers.

 

[IDrinkBr]

I, too, like my Chugger. Can't really tell the difference to the 809 when I've brewed with people who use the March.

 

[brewerswife1]

I think he wanted the chuggerpump. He mentioned that it is green and not the March... based on a Google search, that's what it looks to be.

Also, I think he saw this thread. He started talking about pumps the evening after I posted this and brings it up every day or two now... What a wiener. (Dear, if you see this... you are a wiener.)

 

[BendBrewer]

Well if he is a wiener, get him the chugger pump. Wieners like chugger pumps.