Running the pump on Brewzilla Gen 4

[SacSudz]

I recently got one of these and love it so far..three batches.

Question, is it safe to run the pump at higher temps, even at boiling? I'd like to run the pump during heat-up but don't want to damage the pump running it too hot. Can't find anything in the manual saying not do to that.

 

[Sammy86]

I recently got one of these and love it so far..three batches.

Question, is it safe to run the pump at higher temps, even at boiling? I'd like to run the pump during heat-up but don't want to damage the pump running it too hot. Can't find anything in the manual saying not do to that.

Personally I don't see why you would need to run the pump to get it boiling faster...I know I read somewhere here a long time ago not to run the pump while the wort is heating up to boiling temps but someone can correct me if im wrong.

As far as higher temps go I run my wort through the pump to the CFC and haven't had any issues but the elements are off at that point.

 

[Teufelhunde]

From my understanding (and I have been wrong before a couple of times in my seventy years), the issue with running the pump during the boil is the chance of sucking air into the pump instead of water.....instant cavitation......

 

[day_trippr]

Most likely the "sucking air" is actually cavitation due to the low pressure zone right in front of the pump vanes causing steam to erupt.
That can happen to pretty much any brewing pump - certainly can happen to my March 815pl for my boil kettle - and is the reason most either don't run their recirculation pumps during the boil at all, or at least throttle them down to reduce the inlet pressure drop...

Cheers!

 

[DuncB]

I run my pump on the way up to boil on my Guten out of All in one through CFC and to whirlpool. I turn it off at 85C when CFC is sanitised.
Pump it says rated to over 100c but cavitation would be an issue.
I have temp sensor on out of CFC to confirm this temp.

 

[mcmichaelangelo]

I have a Gen4 65L with the weak a** 5W pump (yeah, wish they'd have set it up with the Green Demon 25W pump... out of stock at the only US dealer), and run it the entire brew day, from mash through boil, chill, and transfer. The only pump problem has been with clogging during the mash from my too-dense grain bed (grain escapes out of the malt pipe through the lifting arm holes near the top when the fluid level rises without my noticing!). Maybe I'm too dense, but no problems so far with the pump running boiling wort through it.

 

[day_trippr]

That's one weak *** pump!

 

[KegLand]

The pump is rated to 121C so you can run boiling hot wort through the pump continuously and it will be fine.

I tend to run the pump most of the time even during the boil. I don't always use the pump on 100% but I do find the circulation does seem to help for a few reasons:

1. Anything that gets through the screen will then go back above the screen and has a better chance of getting filtered out.
2. Even if I have the pump only set to about 35% it still seems to prevent boil overs. I am not sure of the science behind this but for some reason when I continue to recirculate the pump during the boil it seems to prevent boil overs for some reason.
3. Pumping while boiling heat sterilizes the pump.

 

[Bobby_M]

Just because the materials can handle boiling temps doesn't mean it's good for the pump to do it. The head will always cavitate due to the drop in pressure on the inlet causing rapid boiling in the head.

 

[SacSudz]

I’d like to get others’ opinions about this…

I noticed after my first several batches of keeping the tube in I got a slight after taste. It was ever so subtle but a slight plastic taste. And that tube was the only plastic in my brewing batch.

So I stopped keeping the tube in while the wart was hot and now I’m not getting that same plastic taste.

Has anyone else noticed this? I’m also wanting to replace that tube…kegland what are the specs on it? I can’t find the part anywhere.

 

[Bobby_M]

The pump is rated to 121C so you can run boiling hot wort through the pump continuously and it will be fine.

Materials can handle high temps but the mechanical function and longevity will definitely be compromised due to constant cavitation.

I tend to run the pump most of the time even during the boil. I don't always use the pump on 100% but I do find the circulation does seem to help for a few reasons:

1. Anything that gets through the screen will then go back above the screen and has a better chance of getting filtered out.
2. Even if I have the pump only set to about 35% it still seems to prevent boil overs. I am not sure of the science behind this but for some reason when I continue to recirculate the pump during the boil it seems to prevent boil overs for some reason.

Pumping sucks heat out of the system. You can achieve the same thing by turning the boil power down a bit.

3. Pumping while boiling heat sterilizes the pump.

It only takes a couple seconds of contact time to do this and it can be done right at the end of the boil.