March 815 pumps - still a standard?

[Gadjobrinus]

Thinking of just getting one stand-alone pump to do certain things a bit more efficiently. This would simply be mounted to a small cart or even a piece of plywood and used as needed. Been out a long time - are the March 315's still the way to go, or are there better options (for the money - there are always better options).

 

[Wayne1]

I will suggest you take a look at the Blichmann RipTide and the Spike Flow

 

[Bobby_M]

There's nothing wrong with the March pumps but those noisy open frame motors will confirm to your neighbors that you started brewing in the 1990's. If your flow rate requirement is relatively low, the Topsflo TD5 is a great pump. It can be clipped (via Camlock QDs for example) right to the drain valve of the vessel you want to pump from so there's no spaghetti monster getting you tripped up. It will still run about 4 gallons per minute and it's so quiet you won't know it's running if you couldn't hear the water splashing on the far end.

If you need bigger and have an extra $100, riptide is the defacto standard right now and the built in flow control valve is nice too.

 

[SpikeBrewing]

Spike is the quietest, has the highest flow rate and highest PSI output. Sounds like an easy choice

 

[day_trippr]

I'm still running a pair of March 815PLs bought in 2007. Super reliable and actually not very loud at all - the exhaust fan above my brew rig easily drowns out the pump motor noise

Cheers!

 

[Yesfan]

Still running my Chugger pump, 10 years going. Loud and proud @Bobby_M.

 

[jcav]

Still running my two March 809's with Hi flow impellers just shy of 10 years now. Actually used them today on Belgian Wit I brewed. I have heard good things about the riptides and Spike's pumps though.

John

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I had the chuggers with sound issues and vapor locks, bought the riptides, no issues with either

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I'm still running a pair of March 815PLs bought in 2007. Super reliable and actually not very loud at all - the exhaust fan above my brew rig easily drowns out the pump motor noise

Cheers!

Yup, I can confirm the same with the two March pumps I have! Same thing with the exhaust too.

One I bought new and the other was used when I bought it, rebuilt once now but an easy task. Lots of other options out there as others have mentioned.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

Awesome, thanks for the input, guys. Nothing immediate but I'd love to at least recirc a WP for a start.

PS, just recall I had Chuggers on board my old Spike system. Performed brilliantly, but one did crap out after awhile. Not sure what happened, I don't recall cavitation or something like it and the pumps were shielded, but was probably a one-off. Wish I wasn't a mechanical moron, else I could probably have fixed it.

 

[Exception13]

If your flow rate requirement is relatively low, the Topsflo TD5 is a great pump. It can be clipped (via Camlock QDs for example) right to the drain valve of the vessel you want to pump from so there's no spaghetti monster getting you tripped up. It will still run about 4 gallons per minute and it's so quiet you won't know it's running if you couldn't hear the water splashing on the far end.

+1 on the TopsFlo. Excellent little pump

 

[Broken Crow]

As nice as it feels to have the biggest and bestest, I got by fine with 5-6.5G batches using the cheap MP-15RM which is available on amazon, ebay, ali, and I believe also marketed as the 'Pumpzilla". Its weakness was when I recirculated through my CFC which is only 3/8" tubing...without the CFC inline I had no problem recirc and whirlpooling, again; on 5-6.5G batches...when I used it on a 12G batch, the whirlpool was weaker, but still acceptable as long as I didn't have the CFC inline.
I love the specs on @Bobby_M 's Topsflo TD-5 and if not for being in Canada, I'd have bought one. As it is, for the new 3V system I'm slowly building, I'm including a rather heavy duty CFC that will require a bit more guts to push the wort through so I got a Blichmann Ritide for that. (Sorry @SpikeBrewing , your's had only just come out and I wasn't able to find one in Canada at the time.)
I guess that's my long-winded way of asking what sizes of system and batches you like to work with?

 

[Stingray73]

Does anybody know where to get replacement thrust washers for the March 815's? 0809-0043-1000 Not finding them on any of the online homebrew shops. The March pump suppliers seem to want 10x the washer cost in shipping. Crazy!

 

[Yesfan]

Does anybody know where to get replacement thrust washers for the March 815's? 0809-0043-1000 Not finding them on any of the online homebrew shops. The March pump suppliers seem to want 10x the washer cost in shipping. Crazy!

I found this thread on American Homebrewers Association's forums. Scroll down to reply #85. Maybe that will help you.

AHA March Pump thread Reply 85

EDIT: Found this on Northern's forums. Email [email protected] for more info. Here's a suggestion he gave someone on Northern's forums:

"There are two common problems I have come to find with home brewers. First is if the pumps are not cleaned out properly after each use then they can get a sugar buildup on the inside of the impeller and it hardens up. Next go round when you brew, when the temp rises up and the impeller expands a little bit, it will seize slightly on the shaft and the magnet will de-couple and you will loose all pumping action. The second issue is the Teflon thrust washer wears out and the impeller rubs up against the front housing also de-coupling the impeller.
The first problem can be solved by drilling out the impeller bore with a 17/64” drill bit. That will open it up a few thousands more and give more clearance for liquid to get in between the shaft and impeller.


The thrust washer issue can only be solved with a new one if it’s missing. I know a few guys have gone a found some washer locally at hardware stores. the washer is 13/32” wide…has a 1/4” hole to fit on the shaft…and its .032 (a little bigger than 1/32”) thick…if you can something fairly close then you should be good to go."

Link to topic on Northern Brewer Forums



There was this thread here from a few years back too. Link Maybe email March and see if they'll send you some freebies since it's just a 90 cent part. Hope this helps.