Best pumps?

[xCSx]

I am looking at the blichmann rip tide - anything else I should look at?

 

[eric19312]

really depends on your application and budget.

The Riptide competes directly with Chugger and March. March has been here longest, Chugger next then Riptide. Mark II seems to be new entry in the class With March and Chugger you get choice of plastic or stainless head and center or side inlet. I've got a pair of stainless center inlet chuggers that do the job and do it well. But they are a tad noisy.

If one of these dies on me I may have to try one of those Topsflo pumps for mash recirculation. I just don't need that high of flow for recirc or lautering and would appreciate the quiet performance. Another good option might even be one of those plastic pumps from e-bay. Mash recirc is not as what I need for whirlpool in the brew kettle.

 

[xCSx]

Bump - any other thoughts?

 

[clarkpadgett]

I have 2 stainless steel center inlet chugger pumps. They are the MiniMAX version which is quieter and more expensive than the standard chugger. I am very satisfied with them.

 

[Drumminguy81]

I'll weigh in.
I started with chugger pumps after a ton of research and price shopping. I had 3 of them on my brew rig (keggles first then 30 gallon kettles) they worked great. Used all three for over a year several brews a month. They were noisy and got noisier which prompted me to buy a spare just in case. Never needed the spare. Recently sold the brew rig and upgraded. When I upgraded my brew rig I went with brau supply pumps. They look to be Mark ii pumps with stainless heads and black bodies. Price was good at $100 shipped each and they run great.
So far I have four 20 gallon batches with them. They are almost silent. And as far as i can tell pump as fast as chugger. I'm very happy so far but only time will tell. March and chugger are tried and true. I didn't really like chugger so decided to try these for a lower price. If they fail I will likely replace with chugger max pumps due to my higher volume and ambition to expant.

 

[Vandulus]

From looking over the specs on my Chugger and Keg King - the pump rates are different. 7 GPM for the Chugger versus 5 GPM for the Keg King.

 

[jrodmfish]

I’ve used March and have several Chugger pumps. Recently bought a Riptide and love it. They all “work” but the Riptide is super quiet, which is nice since I brew indoors, and the ease of cleaning after brew days is amazing. Unscrewing one tri clamp takes it all apart vs 4 screws to remove the pump head and 4 more screws to open it on the chuggers. Riptide also has a pull pin valve to remove air pockets, but it’s a little sketchy since the liquid can spray out of it if you’re not careful.

 

[Drumminguy81]

From looking over the specs on my Chugger and Keg King - the pump rates are different. 7 GPM for the Chugger versus 5 GPM for the Keg King.

That is what the specs say but honestly even brewing 20 gallon batches I can't tell a difference between them. The only time I have the pumps running full on with no restriction is during whirlpool and it does just fine. When I'm fly sparging, recirculating mash, or transferring to fermenter they are throttled back to slow down the flow anyway so max gpm makes no difference. Also plusses for me the keg king pumps are completely sealed so no open holes that liquid can get in and fry them like the chugger and March. Also no need to lube them.

 

[Amadeo38]

I am about to pull the trigger on a mash recirc/ whirlpool pump and am wondering if anyone has any experience with the Keg King MKII? It’s the pump my LHBS sells, but wondering if I should have them order me something different and wait.

 

[Bilsch]

I have a chugger and a MKII but like the MKII better. It's quieter and the construction of the back cap has a beefier o-ring and seals better. I've had troubles with the chugger leaking.

 

[Amadeo38]

Good to know. Stoked to have an easier vorlauf soon!

 

[augiedoggy]

I am about to pull the trigger on a mash recirc/ whirlpool pump and am wondering if anyone has any experience with the Keg King MKII? It’s the pump my LHBS sells, but wondering if I should have them order me something different and wait.

We use the in the plate processors at work and have been for years. they are a decent pump for the price but max out at about 5gpm and for whirlpooling its not going to do as well as the other bigger options like the march, chugger and riptide..In all other respects I agree the larger flowrate is useless and not wanted actually.
Theres also many screws to remove if you ever want to take it apart which some people do to clean manually.. Anvil sells a smaller cheaper version which looks like it uses the same pump head as the mk2 with a smaller motor just like the grainfather pump.

Ive gotten to use the riptide in quite a few water tests lately at the nano brewpub im opening and its a nice little pump.. I love how it comes apart in seconds.

 

[Amadeo38]

Thought I’d update- got the MKII and it’s fantastic. Silent and strong, made crystal clear wort after about 10 mins of lautering with medium outflow restriction.

 

[Drumminguy81]

After a couple dozen more batches I would like to update, I have now gone back to chugger pumps on 2 of the 3 pumps on my system. I started having issues with one of the mkii pumps getting stuck and I would have to tap on it every time I started it. I know it was clean and clear. It does get a lot more use than the others running nonstop for my entire mash. I also found that i couldn't get a strong enough whirlpool with the mkii while running through my chiller. They are a decent pump for the price but from my experience the chuggers are worth the slight extra cost.