Cheap compact wort pump

[augiedoggy]

Hmm idk. I don't brew a lot but I have around 6 batches (6 months) with the tan pump/pwm combo. It has been working just fine for me. I believe augiedoggy uses two pwm's on his panel with these pumps also.

So far so good. YMMV

Yes two of these...and a black $30 topsflo one...all three work great so far with my $5 pwm eBay speed controllers... done 5 brews with them now... use them to recirculate my her ms and for the plate chiller and they are perfect.. I don't try to pump solids with them though... I use screen filters tubes at the bottom of my my and bk...

 

[mendozer]

Seems like quite a few like to mount directly to kettles. Is it too difficult to manage silicone tubing everywhere? Or is this better for "priming" the pump since it's right there?

My Topsflo (BrewPump) was $70. How'd you score $30?

 

[Mojzis]

Seems like quite a few like to mount directly to kettles. Is it too difficult to manage silicone tubing everywhere? Or is this better for "priming" the pump since it's right there?

No, silicone tubing instead of kettle mount isn't any harder. I just do it because I don't have a ton of fittings to go around. Priming this way is great but I've done it with tubing and that works well also. QD's would be the way to go, but they are pricey.

 

[mendozer]

I have cam locks galore. I was going to make the pump in a box and have tubing run from kettles to pump and vice versa. I do like the sleekness of the pump to ball valve for priming though. Saves one tube!

Do you have an issues with wiring being so close to burners as well as potential spills? Or have people enclosed it around the ball valve, similar to heat/water shielding on frames?

 

[MX1]

I was made an offer to good to pass up, so I will be getting a 2nd chugger now.

I wish you all the best of luck with your little pumps, it really does seem there is a place in the brew space for these.

Tim

 

[Mojzis]

I can't say too much about that. All electric so not many hot surfaces. But once the stuff comes in I hope to add a pwm to my control box. Then the pumps will plug right in. With the wiring covered by the braided sleeving I think it will be great.

If you give yourself enough length of wire from the power source to the pwm and from the pwm to the pump like I did, I doubt you would have any issues. Just keep the pwm away from water and wires off of the hot frame.

 

[mendozer]

ok. sounds like covering wiring with maybe some braided sleeve is good too. Is that waterproof? Or have people used heatshrink as well?

Trying to imagine the length required for wiring from power -> PWM -> pump

 

[Mojzis]

No not water proof, but helps against quick burns and cuts. It's probably overboard. Just measure out how much wire you need to keep the pwm away from liquids.

 

[Facinerous]

Here is a link to amazon for some 12 volt power supplies. They are technically power supplies for monitors, but they have some good amperage. About 5 amps average.

12 V power supplies.

Just google search dc pwm controller and you will get tons of results for stuff you can buy for less then 15 dollars.

Good luck with your setups everyone.

 

[augiedoggy]

Seems like quite a few like to mount directly to kettles. Is it too difficult to manage silicone tubing everywhere? Or is this better for "priming" the pump since it's right there?

My Topsflo (BrewPump) was $70. How'd you score $30?

a seller on amazon had the food grade coated impeller version for like $28.... ebays sellers caught on and jacked up prices a while back...

 

[lotusworker]

Peter_R, if you have one of these (and especially if you have any experience with a March pump) I would be interested in any other contrasts to a March pump you could provide (aside from the fact that this low-cost pump rated to pump less):

1/ can it be cleaned as easily as the March pump (impeller removed, cleaned, etc...)?

2/ it's pretty obviously not as solidly built as a March pump, but at this price, you could afford to have one (or even five ) as backups - how much have you used your pump and what is your feeling as to how many brew cycles it will last?

3/ it claims to be food-grade - from what you have seen are you confident that this is the case?

4/ have you used the pump to recirculate hot wort? Any concerns about it's ability to withstand 212 degrees F?

I'm probably getting a March pump as my 'main' pump for mash recirculation but I am thinking about picking up one these as a second pump for whirlpooling my wort near the end of the boil - unless this pump is a disaster, just being able to avoid having to move a single pump halfway through the brew cycle would make it worth the very modest cost...

-fafrd

Yes, I agree. This will be at the higher end of the temperature, but I don't think the quality will last. I guess $20 is not much to see, but don't expect much.

 

[augiedoggy]

Yes, I agree. This will be at the higher end of the temperature, but I don't think the quality will last. I guess $20 is not much to see, but don't expect much.

if used correctly I disagree and I have first hand experience with these pumps for months as well as similar pumps for years in my salt water reef tank. If used correctly and primed before use they will last a long time.

 

[dirkomatic]

All my water tests have been successful with my pump. I'm going to brew with it for the first time next weekend. Quick question which I can't seem to find the answer for... Do these things handle Irish moss very well? I usually add a bit to the last 15 mins of the boil. I imagine it will be fine, but kind of curious if I should leave it out.

 

[Mojzis]

All my water tests have been successful with my pump. I'm going to brew with it for the first time next weekend. Quick question which I can't seem to find the answer for... Do these things handle Irish moss very well? I usually add a bit to the last 15 mins of the boil. I imagine it will be fine, but kind of curious if I should leave it out.

Yes, but they do not handle hop particles very well. I have been using mine for the boil kettle, but I don't like to. I have had two clogs early on. Now I whirlpool and let sit 5 minutes then begin to drain.

 

[dirkomatic]

By "hop particles" do you mean from leaf hops, pellets or both. Almost all I can get locally are pellet hops. I always use a bag, so whatever gets through is pretty small. Will that be a problem?

 

[johns]

I never use hops (pellets or leaf) directly into the boil, with these pumps. I just use a hop spider and I always have and never had clogging problems. I also never use irish moss. Instead I use whirlflock. Its does the same thing and its up to personal preference. Also I would imagine that there would be clogging issues since there is a small tolerance between the impeller and the magnetic walls, if hop material or irish moss is added directly to the boil instead of running it through a filter like a hop spider.

There is more than one way to skin a cat. Some people use hop stands, some people use late additions, or even whirl-pooling. just my 2 cents

 

[mendozer]

hop spider all the way. I still use a false bottom as well with a bazooka screen under that going into the valve. Overkill...maybe, but it's the gear that I have collected and been given by a friend, so why not?

 

[Mojzis]

By "hop particles" do you mean from leaf hops, pellets or both. Almost all I can get locally are pellet hops. I always use a bag, so whatever gets through is pretty small. Will that be a problem?

I don't use a spider or a bag and strictly use pellets. Spider or bag would be the way to go if you have them. Bags make me question utilization though.

I never use hops (pellets or leaf) directly into the boil, with these pumps. I just use a hop spider and I always have and never had clogging problems.

Yeah, a spider would be quite handy. Another piece of equipment i'd love to have

However if you don't have one a simple bag or whirlpooling would be the way to go most likely.

 

[sablesurfer]

Not sure if the question about hops is using the black pump or the brown pump, but my black pump has worked pretty well with the pellets I've used to date. Now I am rethinking just dumping them in, but not because of the pump.

Mostly I am planning to just suck it up and make a bunch of those cheese cloth bags for every brew. They hold about 50-70 of the hops after a boil, but that is better than all that going into my fermentors.

Hopefully the new pot build, which will have whirlpool, can also start to limit the excess stuff coming out of pot.

 

[augiedoggy]

I never use hops (pellets or leaf) directly into the boil, with these pumps. I just use a hop spider and I always have and never had clogging problems. I also never use irish moss. Instead I use whirlflock. Its does the same thing and its up to personal preference. Also I would imagine that there would be clogging issues since there is a small tolerance between the impeller and the magnetic walls, if hop material or irish moss is added directly to the boil instead of running it through a filter like a hop spider.

There is more than one way to skin a cat. Some people use hop stands, some people use late additions, or even whirl-pooling. just my 2 cents

Ditto only I use one of the 300m stainless screen hop cups sold on eBay that attaches to the side of my kettle.
No issues with whirlflock... 7 brews now..no issues with brown or black pumps.. I did notice there are no more of the black coated impeller topsflo ones for under $30 on amazon anymore. They are $70+ now. .

 

[augiedoggy]

This is what I use...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BEER-WORT-C...010?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cd2668c2
I also have on of the white funnels with the screen filter that pops out that I use to filter and aerate the wort as it goes into the carboy and I use a plate chiller. When I used the cheesecloth bags the funnel filter would plug almost immediately and now I get nothing in the filter screen! when I dump my trub all I notice is fine powder such as dead yeast. I know theres proteins that break up and fall to the bottom but they are also so fine that they look like yeast sediment when dumping and cleaning...

I should piont out I also use a homemade bazooka tube in the BK to catch anything that makes it pact the hop cup and other proteins that might coagulate.

I think the use of these steps and pumps has also forced me to make better clearer beer.

 

[Hello]

I've been muddling through how I can effectively build a brew stand on the cheap. I wanted single tier but I don't have the cash to invest in March or Chugger pumps yet. I've been doing trial runs of 3 tier setups but each time the biggest challenge is height. I lack it and the setup wants it and standing on a ladder to me seems dangerous. The issue comes down to where the brew kettle sits and I need a way to pour wort into a bucket or carboy without lifting the kettle. I don't have brew assistants with opposable thumbs.

So after reading the first three pages and last two pages of this thread, I want to ask if people are just buying from http://greatbreweh.com/Beer_Pump.html and spending the $70, or if the consensus is to buy this from eBay alongside any one of these AC adapters on Amazon and wire it up myself? I don't think I can really mess up two wires, I did make a stir plate and the house is still standing.

My thought right now would only be to move the single pump from HLT to MLT then reconnect it from MLT to kettle. Once I have that down, a second pump can be added for sure. This eliminates my height issue on 3 tier stands.

This is what I use...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BEER-WORT-C...010?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cd2668c2
I also have on of the white funnels with the screen filter that pops out that I use to filter and aerate the wort as it goes into the carboy and I use a plate chiller. When I used the cheesecloth bags the funnel filter would plug almost immediately and now I get nothing in the filter screen! when I dump my trub all I notice is fine powder such as dead yeast. I know theres proteins that break up and fall to the bottom but they are also so fine that they look like yeast sediment when dumping and cleaning...

I should piont out I also use a homemade bazooka tube in the BK to catch anything that makes it pact the hop cup and other proteins that might coagulate.

I think the use of these steps and pumps has also forced me to make better clearer beer.

Do you put your hops in that thing and let it hang from the kettle or do you just let your wort run through it after you're done boiling?

 

[augiedoggy]

I've been muddling through how I can effectively build a brew stand on the cheap. I wanted single tier but I don't have the cash to invest in March or Chugger pumps yet. I've been doing trial runs of 3 tier setups but each time the biggest challenge is height. I lack it and the setup wants it and standing on a ladder to me seems dangerous. The issue comes down to where the brew kettle sits and I need a way to pour wort into a bucket or carboy without lifting the kettle. I don't have brew assistants with opposable thumbs.

So after reading the first three pages and last two pages of this thread, I want to ask if people are just buying from http://greatbreweh.com/Beer_Pump.html and spending the $70, or if the consensus is to buy this from eBay alongside any one of these AC adapters on Amazon and wire it up myself? I don't think I can really mess up two wires, I did make a stir plate and the house is still standing.

My thought right now would only be to move the single pump from HLT to MLT then reconnect it from MLT to kettle. Once I have that down, a second pump can be added for sure. This eliminates my height issue on 3 tier stands.

I bought my topsflo one on amazon for $28 shipped but they are now a lot more... I bought two tan ones on ebay for $21 a piece shipped and they also work great.... they will work with any 12v powersupply that puts out over 1 amp but better to get one thats 3 amps or higher if your using the same supply for both pumps for better margin of error...
there are also 24v versions of the tan ones that pump a bit faster with stronger motors although I didnt see them till I bought mine.

I put the hops in it during the whole boil process... stirring the wort to agitate and so wort passes through it. I actually use extensions I made so it hangs lower in the kettle as I have a 13 gallon kettle... If I were to do it again I would buy the deeper one they make.

Good luck!

 

[dirkomatic]

Ditto only I use one of the 300m stainless screen hop cups sold on eBay that attaches to the side of my kettle.
No issues with whirlflock... 7 brews now..no issues with brown or black pumps.. I did notice there are no more of the black coated impeller topsflo ones for under $30 on amazon anymore. They are $70+ now. .

How can you tell if it's got the coated impeller?

 

[iijakii]

I'm really surprised to see you having such a blingy hop filter, Augie!

 

[dirkomatic]

BTW, I bagged my hops like I always have and had no issues with my black Topsflo pump. It worked like a champ...

 

[Paps]

subd

 

[sablesurfer]

I
So after reading the first three pages and last two pages of this thread, I want to ask if people are just buying... from and spending the $70, or if the consensus is to buy this... from eBay alongside any one of these... AC adapters on Amazon and wire it up myself?

I got mine from ebay, there was a deal to get two in one buy. I was completely unaware they had gone up in price, cause that kinda sucks. You can also get wall warts at a local goodwill, they will have baskets and baskets of em. (I just got four for the fans for my fermentation chamber.)

I had a brown pump, and I think I killed it because my wall wart was too low in power (I hear that makes em over heat and die). So mine had no problem during my tests, I just think it was user error that killed it.

 

[augiedoggy]

How can you tell if it's got the coated impeller?

You can disassemble it and pull the impeller... the seller I bought mine from advertised it as such and all the tan ones have the fda coating.

 

[augiedoggy]

I'm really surprised to see you having such a blingy hop filter, Augie!

Lol... not really blingy.... I used nylon paint bags and this works much better.

 

[dirkomatic]

You can disassemble it and pull the impeller... the seller I bought mine from advertised it as such and all the tan ones have the fda coating.

Would it be possible to get a picture of the impeller with the coating? If it's somewhere in this thread already, that would work... I would just like to compare the impeller on my Topsflo...

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[augiedoggy]

Would it be possible to get a picture of the impeller with the coating? If it's somewhere in this thread already, that would work... I would just like to compare the impeller on my Topsflo...

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

I dont know of one but is yours metal or plastic looking?

 

[dirkomatic]

I've attached a photo of mine. Just opened it up after pbw plus rinse.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[augiedoggy]

I've attached a photo of mine. Just opened it up after pbw plus rinse.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

hmm your magnet is not coated.... If im not mistaken the food grade coating is over the magnet. The pics earlier in this thread were.. Not really sure how much it would effect the wort though.
You got me curious to check mine now.

 

[dirkomatic]

I couldn't find a picture of anyone with the black pump that looks any different than mine... Even the video on greatbreweh looks like mine... I'd be really curious to see the insides of a black pump with the food grade coating to see if it looks any differently than mine.

 

[sablesurfer]

I couldn't find a picture of anyone with the black pump that looks any different than mine... Even the video on greatbreweh looks like mine... I'd be really curious to see the insides of a black pump with the food grade coating to see if it looks any differently than mine.

Yeah, this vid appears to show same magnet as in your pic.
[ame]http://youtu.be/_3DtET12qU4[/ame]

From their website down by the specifications.

 

[Mojzis]

My black topsflo type one also has the bare magnet. My little tan wonder has a coating..

 

[sladek]

I am thinking about using this tan wonder to pump wort from my primary fermenter to the secondary. I am a T-8 paraplegic and lifting a fermenter from the ground to a table top is not only cumbersome, but difficult as well. My one concern/question is priming the pump while both fermenters are on the floor. Any one use it for that application?

 

[sablesurfer]

I am thinking about using this tan wonder to pump wort from my primary fermenter to the secondary. I am a T-8 paraplegic and lifting a fermenter from the ground to a table top is not only cumbersome, but difficult as well. My one concern/question is priming the pump while both fermenters are on the floor. Any one use it for that application?

Hmmm....that is interesting. Best bet would be, can you at least get them up on a small step stool? All you really need for physics to take over is to have the pump .... wait .... no....

....all you need is to have the pump below the level of the top of THE LIQUID in the carboy. So on the floor would work fine if you can get a siphon to start it. That would be the hard part I would think. If there were any way you could pressurize the primary with some CO2 and force the liquid, that could work too.

Sorry, spit balling here until it could be experimented with. But at most you would only need the carboys up on a small step stool or a brick and the pump down on the ground.

They will easily pump up high enough to get into second carboy.

Good luck, would be great if this could meet your need.

 

[sladek]

Hmmm....that is interesting. Best bet would be, can you at least get them up on a small step stool? All you really need for physics to take over is to have the pump .... wait .... no....

....all you need is to have the pump below the level of the top of THE LIQUID in the carboy. So on the floor would work fine if you can get a siphon to start it. That would be the hard part I would think. If there were any way you could pressurize the primary with some CO2 and force the liquid, that could work too.

Sorry, spit balling here until it could be experimented with. But at most you would only need the carboys up on a small step stool or a brick and the pump down on the ground.

They will easily pump up high enough to get into second carboy.

Good luck, would be great if this could meet your need.

Thanks! I can lift it up a step or two...I was thinking of using one of those orange caps for a carboy, put the pickup tube in the middle, down into the liquid, have the tubes hooked up through pump and into the secondary, and then, as you suggested, apply positive pressure through the second opening in the orange cap, while the pump is running, to get the flow started.