bigirishape
Well-Known Member
I'm planning to use gravity for my first AG setup, but also curious about the pumps I keep hearing mentioned. Anybody have pump suggestions or horror stories? Any reputable vendors or DIY projects for pumps?
Pumps vs Gravity
- Thread starter bigirishape
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Nateo
Well-Known Member
I used gravity for a long time, but recently bought a little march pump. I thought pumps were kinda dumb, but it's actually really nice. No lifting/dumping hot water. I guess if you had one of those 3-tier setups with a HLT at the top, then the MLT, then the copper, that would work alright. I just have a single level setup.
pumps are nice, but are:
1) expensive (~$100 for a food grade, magnetically coupled pump), + $$ for the wiring, switches, and GFCI if you do it right.
2) are one more thing to clean (just run fresh water through the lines when brew day is done), and
3) require constant attention (or, they should require constant attention). Assuming your pump is attached to the mash/lauter tun, if you get a stuck sparge and the pump runs dry, it can ruin it.
I bought a March pump on a whim a few months ago it's still in the box - I still use gravity for the simplicity of it all.
1) expensive (~$100 for a food grade, magnetically coupled pump), + $$ for the wiring, switches, and GFCI if you do it right.
2) are one more thing to clean (just run fresh water through the lines when brew day is done), and
3) require constant attention (or, they should require constant attention). Assuming your pump is attached to the mash/lauter tun, if you get a stuck sparge and the pump runs dry, it can ruin it.
I bought a March pump on a whim a few months ago it's still in the box - I still use gravity for the simplicity of it all.
thegerm
Well-Known Member
pumps seem like a requirement if you're doing 10 gallon or higher batch sizes. for 5 gallons, they are nice, but not as required. I recently got a prewired march pump. I do stove top brewing with heat sticks with the MLT on a chair in front of the stove and I collect the wort with a bucket or two on the ground. I just use the pump to get the wort from the bucket back up to the kettle/HLT. Then I use the pump towards the end of the boil as a whirlpooler.
it's a lot of money, but I'm glad I have the pump now, because the whirlpool really is amazing for neatly stacking up trub and not having it ALL go into your fermentor, and lifting full buckets of hot wort just seemed like I was temping disaster every time.
it's a lot of money, but I'm glad I have the pump now, because the whirlpool really is amazing for neatly stacking up trub and not having it ALL go into your fermentor, and lifting full buckets of hot wort just seemed like I was temping disaster every time.
Pumps can do a few things that gravity can't.
1. Recirculate a mash for RIMS and HERMs.
2. Push wort through an external chiller.
3. Recirculate boiling wort for sanitizing of hoses, and for whirlpool chilling.
4. Pump chilled wort to the fermenter allowing the BK to be mounted lower than the height of your fermenter. This lowers the entire brew stand in fact....see #5.
5 Reduces your 3 tier stand down to 2 to allow the dangerous pot of hot water to have a lower center of gravity.
1. Recirculate a mash for RIMS and HERMs.
2. Push wort through an external chiller.
3. Recirculate boiling wort for sanitizing of hoses, and for whirlpool chilling.
4. Pump chilled wort to the fermenter allowing the BK to be mounted lower than the height of your fermenter. This lowers the entire brew stand in fact....see #5.
5 Reduces your 3 tier stand down to 2 to allow the dangerous pot of hot water to have a lower center of gravity.
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