March 809 Pump Question

[CanadianNorth]

Hi Folks,

I have an electric brewery setup. Recently, I upgraded to a basic RIMS setup, using coolers. My wort is transferred through Pex plumbing pipe.

The pump I used was a cheap ebay pump, and it served the purpose. Alas, recently it passed away. The excitement of brewing must have been too much for it.

I purchased the recommended March 809. However, I am wondering about the tubing size. I have heard you should have an inner diameter of 1/2" for inlet and outlet on the March. While my pex is 1/2" it is certainly not 1/2" on the I.D., and the connectors are even smaller.

Should this be a concern? ((and yes, I have a ball valve on the out connection of the pump))


Thanks!!
__________________

 

[mabrungard]

Using 3/4 inch PEX would provide a more appropriate inlet velocity and reduction of suction side head loss. I use 5/8 inch ID reinforced vinyl tubing for my suction side tubing and that is the same ID as 3/4 inch PEX.

I hope you got the 809HS pump and not the 809. The 809 is not suitable for most brewing applications. Its too bad you didn't buy the 815 pump, it is quite nice and has higher capability than the 809HS. Fortunately, the 809HS is upgradable to the 815 impeller.

 

[CanadianNorth]

Thanks,

i was thinking that upgrading my inlet end to 3/4 pex would be the way to go.

I have the 809HS-C, so the 3/4 pex will fit right on to it.

 

[helibrewer]

For the RIMS function you're not moving a high volume otherwise you'll compact your grain bed during the recirc. I would think your currect setup would work fine for brewing until you can upsize your plumbing to give you maximum benefit for other fluid movement.

 

[CanadianNorth]

For the RIMS function you're not moving a high volume otherwise you'll compact your grain bed during the recirc. I would think your currect setup would work fine for brewing until you can upsize your plumbing to give you maximum benefit for other fluid movement.

true - i am not in need of moving liquid too quickly. i have a 10 gal setup. what would be a good recirculation rate?

I have a cooler with a custom made false bottom, so I could potentially recirculate quickly w/o compacting ( i hope ).

 

[mabrungard]

I recommend installing a sight glass and port it into the bottom of the mash tun so that the head loss through the grain bed can be monitored. The proper flow rate is that rate which limits the headloss to about the height of the grain bed. That way you won't impose too much of a head across the bed and compact it. I find that you have to limit the flow rate more during the early part of the mash and then I can open up the valve and allow a higher flow rate as the conversion and extraction progresses.

 

[Jipper]

Quick head's up on the 809 vs. 815. The only major difference in these pumps is the impeller that is installed in them. The 815 has a larger impeller, causing higher head capability, less cavitation, and slightly faster flow rates. The impeller can be purchased separately from the pump if you ever wish to upgrade your 809 to the 815.

If you're interested in the impeller email us at [email protected] and ask about the H315i - the customer service team will be able to assist you in ordering one (they're not listed on the website yet).

Cheers!

 

[CanadianNorth]

For the RIMS function you're not moving a high volume otherwise you'll compact your grain bed during the recirc. I would think your currect setup would work fine for brewing until you can upsize your plumbing to give you maximum benefit for other fluid movement.

Thanks again,

I guess my bottom line question is: will the use of the 1/2" pex on both sides of the pump cause any long-term damage??

 

[gwren]

I don't think a restriction of 1/2" line will hurt the pump. The impeller is not attached to the shaft of the pump. It uses a magnetic clutch. I regularly throttle mine down with a ball valve to get a desired flow. If it can't go full speed it just slips. It cannot be run dry, but I regularly keep the pump going with the valve shut after flow has been started. I upgraded to the larger impeller, so throttling is necessary at times.

 

[mabrungard]

Thanks again,

I guess my bottom line question is: will the use of the 1/2" pex on both sides of the pump cause any long-term damage??

You might be more prone to cavitation due to increased head loss (pressure drop) in the intake piping. If the flow is throttled on the outlet side by valving or other system losses then the issue of cavitation may never occur. If it does, closing the outlet valve a little should resolve the issue.

 

[CanadianNorth]

Thanks to everyone for their help, the system is up and running and working well. Made my first 10g batch in it this past saturday!!