Pump for CIP and whirpool

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Irish1225

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Hey everyone,

I've combed through pages of search results, and I'm sure this has been asked before, but I can't find it...

I'm considering have a whirlpool port welded to my BK. I have a Spike CF5 and really want to start limiting the trub and break I put into the fermenter to get as much yield as possible out of this CF5 (I really wish they had made this thing an 8-gallon+ capacity, but that's a story for a different day).

So I'm searching for some recommendations for a pump that could recirculate HOT wort for whirlpooling. If there is a serious cost difference for something that could handle boiling temperatures versus ~180*F circulation, I would be interested in hearing opinions regarding that, as well.

And last thing I'm considering is since I would be buying a pump, I would then look into getting the Spike CIP accessory. So a pump that could handle both jobs would be most preferred :) Spike's website recommends at least 7GPM for CIP.

As always, thanks in advance to everyone here!
 
I use the MKII pumps. They are quite and work very well. I have a CF10 and even though I have a CIP ball, I haven't used it. For me, it is more convenient to clean the CF10 in my laundry room with a large sink.

bk 1.jpg
 
I use the stainless head chuggers with the centre ports to whirlpool thru my cfc. It flows very well and therefore makes a very solid cone after draining. If you want to cip without having to still open the top you'll need a more powerful pump than most homebrews use. It literally takes 2 minutes to clean my cf15 by hand. I wouldn't bother if it was me. Cheers
 
I am just a few batches into using my CF5 and a NEIPA took me 10 minutes of scrubbing to remove built-on hop and krausen debris. I also have just been removing the top and scrubbing in my sink. I would love to add one port to my BK to add whirlpool capability to improve my overall process. If I’m adding a pump, I was thinking I could kill two birds with one stone. I do read a lot more CF users on the forums here forgo the CF CIP steps, but why not give it a shot?

That MKII gets a lot of love here and thank you @CodeSection for calling it out :) That YalePro seemed interesting since it comes with a stainless head and a higher output.

So if I go with a “lower” output, how do users of the MKII or other ~5gpm units regulate the flow through the whirlpools? If so, is it kosher to just add a valve after the out port to regulate flow, or is that damaging to the pump?
 
Irish1225 said:
Anyone use this YalePro brand on Amazon? I’m sure it’s some Chinese re-brand, but the specs seem to work

https://www.amazon.com/YalePro-Cent...=1561002490&s=gateway&sprefix=chugger&sr=8-11
Click to expand...

Perhaps it is only me, but when I see those type of pumps, the first thing that catches my eye are the openings in the body of the pump itself. It appears they are not sealed like other pumps and I would be afraid of wort or water splashing in those openings and shorting the pump. Maybe they are sealed and it is just a design issue....
 
CodeSection said:
Perhaps it is only me, but when I see those type of pumps, the first thing that catches my eye are the openings in the body of the pump itself. It appears they are not sealed like other pumps and I would be afraid of wort or water splashing in those openings and shorting the pump. Maybe they are sealed and it is just a design issue....
Click to expand...

I see what you’re saying now. It would appear their design requires much more ventilation compared to the MKII; good, bad, or quality/longevity issue, I have no clue.
 
Irish1225 said:
... I do read a lot more CF users on the forums here forgo the CF CIP steps, but why not give it a shot?

...That YalePro seemed interesting since it comes with a stainless head and a higher output.

So if I go with a “lower” output, how do users of the MKII or other ~5gpm units regulate the flow through the whirlpools? If so, is it kosher to just add a valve after the out port to regulate flow, or is that damaging to the pump?
Click to expand...

In my case, I spent $55 on the CIP that I probably will never use. You can buy stainless heads for the MKII ~ MKII $69.99 + Stainless head $29.99. Thus, about $100 total.

So it depends upon your system regarding valves. I have ball valves after the out port on both of the MKII pumps to control the flow. HOWEVER, since my whirlpool port is lower on the BK, I need a ball valve there as well so as the water or wort will not leak out.
 
I would rather go with a product that so many here know and trust, so I’m going to pick up a MKII.

Any experience out there CIP’n with it? I will do some forum and interweb searches but folks can feel free to post their experiences here. Thanks again!
 
Irish1225 said:
I would rather go with a product that so many here know and trust, so I’m going to pick up a MKII.

Any experience out there CIP’n with it? I will do some forum and interweb searches but folks can feel free to post their experiences here. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Again the cip ball will not clean the entire fermentor with the chugger/mkII pumps. You will still need to remove the top and hand wash. It's not worth the effort. Cheers
 
Blazinlow86 said:
Again the cip ball will not clean the entire fermentor with the chugger/mkII pumps. You will still need to remove the top and hand wash. It's not worth the effort. Cheers
Click to expand...

Meaning it is not worth the effort using the CIP ball....
 
CIP works fine with a spray ball in a 7 gallon conical using a Blichmann Riptide pump. I'll usually rinse it down pretty good with a hose. Then I set up for CIP and put in 1 to 1-1/2 gallons of liquid. After running for a few minutes I sometimes need to hit the krausen line with a brush real quick. For whatever reason that's rarely needed on the cooling coils. Then I run it a few more minutes, pump it out, fill with rinse water run a minute, repeat, then run a cycle with sanitizer.

That said, I'm considering switching to a system based on the sump pump I already use for keg cleaning. I could do that without moving the fermenters over by my brew stand.
 
+1 on the stainless head chugger pump. I have 1 I use for multiple tasks (recirc water in my HERMS, transfer water for sparging, CF10 CIP, whirlpool BK). It works well. It seems to have issues losing prime when boiling, but I think it is more my setup than anything else.
 
most cip sprayballs are designed to work with a 1/2hp pump or better.
I have 2 sprayballs at the brewpb and have tried them with a few different pumps... the 7gpm pump riptide barely has enough power to make them spin and then its more like rinsing with an open ended garden hose than spraying. I also had a 17gpm larger pump which works better but still not all that effective... I let it go for a half hour and still had some buildup in the conical. We also have a 3/4hp sanitary pump and even with it throttled way down on the output the spray and pressure from the sprayball is WAY more effective.It actually sprays with spray pressure.
There was a thread about this on probrewer about 8 months ago where people basically said you need pump that more powerful than the homebrewing pumps to use the cip the way it was designed to work they discussed the special smaller designs but the consensus was they just dont work as well if at all. I would imagine though if I had a one of the smaller cip balls it might work well with my 17gpm pump. I believe this is the smaller one I have now, only it might have the 1/2" threaded base.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-...110845?hash=item3d8d44f1bd:g:6YYAAOSwupRdBIsg

At home I just spend the 2 minutes to wipe out my fermenters by hand but then again I dont have the annoying coils in any on my fermenters but the one I dont use until the others are full.. I use a jacket on mine to cool them. Just my opinion but at these tiny sizes it simple makes more practical sense to reach in and wipe them clean. CIP is designed to be practical for cleaning larger vessels where this is not so easy.

I have some larger plastic conicals we still use and you can really see the difference in how the cip works with the different pumps on it since its somewhat transparent.
 
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matt_m said:
CIP works fine with a spray ball in a 7 gallon conical using a Blichmann Riptide pump. I'll usually rinse it down pretty good with a hose. Then I set up for CIP and put in 1 to 1-1/2 gallons of liquid. After running for a few minutes I sometimes need to hit the krausen line with a brush real quick. For whatever reason that's rarely needed on the cooling coils. Then I run it a few more minutes, pump it out, fill with rinse water run a minute, repeat, then run a cycle with sanitizer.

That said, I'm considering switching to a system based on the sump pump I already use for keg cleaning. I could do that without moving the fermenters over by my brew stand.
Click to expand...
what spray ball do you have specifically? My riptide makes my sprayball perform like a gentle waterfall sprayer when I could even get it to spin.
 
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Got a new pump to try for CIP
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M7FC34L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Was going to get the 1/2 HP but then noticed oil free 1/3 HP and pump oil sounded like a bad idea. I'm using the Spike spray ball which is designed to work with Chugger pumps.

Did a quick cold water test vs my Chugger. I'll post the vids on YouTube and link them here but was big difference. Will have to see how much heat these will really tolerate, manual says 120F is the limit but I'd like to go to 130 or 140 if it doesn't trip the reset.


 
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@eric19312, very clever! Alexa may be a replacement for those that use a foot switch or something similar!

She's ignoring me when I say the same thing and responds "I didn't get that. Could you try again?" It happens all the time.....;)
 
eric19312 said:
Got a new pump to try for CIP
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M7FC34L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Was going to get the 1/2 HP but then noticed oil free 1/3 HP and pump oil sounded like a bad idea. I'm using the Spike spray ball which is designed to work with Chugger pumps.

Did a quick cold water test vs my Chugger. I'll post the vids on YouTube and link them here but was big difference. Will have to see how much heat these will really tolerate, manual says 120F is the limit but I'd like to go to 130 or 140 if it doesn't trip the reset.


Click to expand...

Now to expand on this further The 1/3 hp one in your video performs like the 17gpm pump I have at the brewpub.. I have demoted the 17gpm pump to cleaning kegs only. I cant stress enough how much more effective the 3/4HP pump is for cip. Also as you may already know pbw is much more effective at temps over 150 degrees.
 
Hello, sorry to resurrect an old thread. I am trying to build a CIP setup for my electric keggle. I have heard great things about the superior pumps on Amazon and elsewhere, but I cannot sink one of those sump pumps into the kettle as it will touch the element. I did some searching, and this looks comparable:
https://www.amazon.com/Professional...616610551&sprefix=1/2+hp+trans,aps,140&sr=8-4
I like the capability to pull directly from the kettle outlet rather than have to be immersed like a normal sump pump. My only question is to the temperature rating. Only one review I could find said they have used it at higher temps for PBW cleaning. Any experience or advice with these?? Thank you!
 
That pump appears to be a cast iron pump so you will have to disassemble it between ever use and dry it or it will rust. Personally I would not use that type of pump for food grade use regardless of temperature For cip it will probably work well.
 
@augiedoggy thanks for the reply. I agree that there are definitely better options for food grade purposes. Are you aware of similar pumps within that price range? The regular sump pumps are attractive but I do not think I could match the output of the pump since my keggle outlet is only 1/2”. Thanks!
 
kpietro22 said:
@augiedoggy thanks for the reply. I agree that there are definitely better options for food grade purposes. Are you aware of similar pumps within that price range? The regular sump pumps are attractive but I do not think I could match the output of the pump since my keggle outlet is only 1/2”. Thanks!
Click to expand...
any luck finding a suitable pump solution?
 

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