Pump In (Inside) a Toolbox - Stainless

For example the McMaster 1/2" ID x 3/4" OD silicone hose has a specified maximum 10 psi @ 72°F. A March/Chugger Pump can produce about 8-9 psi. I don't know the specs of your particular tubing, so hopefully you continue to have no problems. How often you brew and what cleaning chemicals are used may influence how long it keeps holding pressure. For the price of a foot or two of reinforced tubing I would rather reduce the risk of frying the motors, electronics, or worse.

I built myself a control box for my pumps which allows me to switch them on and off from a central location.

I incorporated a couple solenoids into my control box which allow me to fill my kettles by flipping a switch. You can see the green solenoids fixed to the back of my stand.

I use three pumps; the third's purpose is strictly to move hot sparge water and to be a failsafe in case one of my other pumps goes down.

Pump 2 is automatically toggled on and off via the PID for the mash tun. I built in a seperate function which allows me to over ride the PID and turn it on by hand; the switch is located above the pump 2 switch.

I'd really like to semi-hardplumb this rig in the future and place the pumps all together in a less hazardous spot; they see a lot of drippage right now.

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More pics

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dmarc85 said:

More pics

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Are those solenoids feed by a house water feed or are they online with your pumps? I'm wondering how much psi/flow is required to actuate the diaphragm in the valve.

Fed by house water. Same psi that comes out of the hose.

I just bought my first pump and love the idea of containing the head inside a toolbox. I've amassed all the parts I think I need (GFCI outlet, double switch, C14 inlet, small power strip). I don't have any fancy stuff in my setup like temp controllers, fans, heaters, etc. Here's my problem, I'm a complete electrical novice. Can anyone help me with a very simple wiring diagram to get things all set up? I'm thinking something as simple as the OP will work fine for me.

So I am finally moving forward with assembling this beast, and I have a question (not sure if it's a concern).

I have two pumps that I am going to fit inside a steel Kobalt toolbox I purchased. I will also be putting a surge protector inside (keeping it up oin the shelf) as well as a computer fan to keep everything cool. It's looking to be a tight squeeze, and I was wondering if there was any negativity to putting the ENTIRE pump head outside of the box (drilling one LARGE hole) as opposed to squeezing it all inside with two holes for the input and output ports?

Just checking, and hope to hear some feedback...

smellie_hippie said:

So I am finally moving forward with assembling this beast, and I have a question (not sure if it's a concern).

I have two pumps that I am going to fit inside a steel Kobalt toolbox I purchased. I will also be putting a surge protector inside (keeping it up oin the shelf) as well as a computer fan to keep everything cool. It's looking to be a tight squeeze, and I was wondering if there was any negativity to putting the ENTIRE pump head outside of the box (drilling one LARGE hole) as opposed to squeezing it all inside with two holes for the input and output ports?

Just checking, and hope to hear some feedback...

Click to expand...

I've seen a few setups exactly like that. While they certainly are functional and work well, my concern with them is that they provide no protection for that pump head. I've had buddies knock over pumps (that were unmounted and just sitting on some surface) and bust the heads. The toolbox is definitely heavier and seems less prone to knocking over - but I don't really want to test that and potentially come away with a busted pump head.