Blichmann Riptide Issues

[ZmannR2]

So it's been a good 2 years of use on my Blichmann Riptide pump and I am getting sick of the issues with it.

First thing is it's finicky about sealing up. If you don't assemble that head and seat that o-ring just right, that baby is gonna spew wort all over the place. This is really my main complaint. I can't tell you how many times I have been so perfect with assembly and it still do this.

Second problem is the picture below:

And since this pic, the cracked part has broken off. This is the part that the triclamp grabs to mate with the stainless head.

Now when you go look at the parts section on their website for this pump, that plastic piece isn't listed. I have since started an email to try and get this part. We'll see how that goes.

I freaking love the pump otherwise and I couldn't part with it's flow rate and quietness and splash proofness lol......but damn these issues get annoying.

Anyone else having problems?

 

[CodeSection]

It looks like another crack is forming on the top left as well. At first I wondered if dropping it would cause the same issues. But I don't see any "strike" marks and definitely the crack forming in the top left isn't caused by dropping. I'm willing to bet that they will stand behind their product and will help you out.

 

[ZmannR2]

I would never drop my Riptide. Hell no!!

 

[mongoose33]

Contact Blichmann about it. I'll bet you they make it right.

I've had two interactions w/ Blichmann's customer service, and they lead me to believe they may have the best CS in the brewing industry.

The first was when I was cleaning the Riptide and the thrust washer--that tiny little stainless washer--fell into my sink, bounced twice, and right down the drain. Took everything apart, couldn't find it. I called Blichmann and they had a replacement in the mail to me gratis. I ended up buying a few spares just in case.

The other time I bought a Hellfire burner. Bought the leg extensions but it turns out they were for the other burner, not the Hellfire. I wrote on here about whether I could make the ones incorrectly delivered to me work with the Hellfire. Blichmann's people saw that, and put the correct legs in the mail to me, gratis. I returned the wrong ones to the vendor.

So--they have a customer for life in me. I'm guessing they'll make your situation right. Give them a chance. If they don't, then tell us about it.

*****

About that thrust washer. It's supposed to be "sacrificial" meaning it wears out over time. Well, in my case, it did. Pump stopped working correctly at the worst time, right when it was time to chill a batch. Took me 20 minutes to discover the washer was gone, apparently "sacrificed." I put one of my spares on, and everything is fine.

Make sure you check that washer from time to time, and lay in a spare or two: one to replace a worn-out washer, and one for when you drop the washer down the drain.

 

[ZmannR2]

Whoa....I thought I noticed that washer looked a bit worn the other day....you mean that thing is shedding metal into our beer??

 

[mongoose33]

Whoa....I thought I noticed that washer looked a bit worn the other day....you mean that thing is shedding metal into our beer??

I assume it's going somewhere.

I think it's a stainless washer, so I'm not particularly concerned about it.

 

[ZmannR2]

Lol just crazy to think about. Surely it just settles at the bottom
Anyways amongst the trub

 

[ba-brewer]

So it's been a good 2 years of use on my Blichmann Riptide pump and I am getting sick of the issues with it.

First thing is it's finicky about sealing up. If you don't assemble that head and seat that o-ring just right, that baby is gonna spew wort all over the place. This is really my main complaint. I can't tell you how many times I have been so perfect with assembly and it still do this.

Second problem is the picture below:

View attachment 641162

And since this pic, the cracked part has broken off. This is the part that the triclamp grabs to mate with the stainless head.

Now when you go look at the parts section on their website for this pump, that plastic piece isn't listed. I have since started an email to try and get this part. We'll see how that goes.

I freaking love the pump otherwise and I couldn't part with it's flow rate and quietness and splash proofness lol......but damn these issues get annoying.

Anyone else having problems?

is this the part you are looking for?
https://parts.blichmannengineering.com/product-p/be-000586-01.htm

 

[ZmannR2]

Holy crap that’s it!! How did I glaze right over that?? Thanks!

 

[ba-brewer]

After reading mongooses post I went to the blichmann site to get a spare thrust washer or two it came up in the other stuff at the bottom of the page.

The site is bit funny, I found the thrust washer but they could not find it when I clicked "buy". Luckily they gave a part number on the error page. I google the part number and it lead me to different part of the Blichmann site where I could order it.

Thanks @mongoose33 for sharing your story. I got a few extra washers and an o-ring kit for just in case.


I converted my march pump to the riptide and have been pretty happy with it. Only complaint I cant get it to trickle to match my mashtun output when doing a fly sparge. When I get almost there it start chugging/pulsing instead of a steady flow.

 

[duelerx]

Man i've got to check my RipTide, i do not open mine for cleaning that often, usually recirculating with hot pbw gets the job done, totally cleaned inside.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Only complaint I cant get it to trickle to match my mashtun output when doing a fly sparge. When I get almost there it start chugging/pulsing instead of a steady flow.

I run 1 quart per minute during fly-sparge and have no problem doing so with my stock 815pl pumps with the typical ball valve controlled outputs.

I've been considering upgrading these 815pl pumps with the Blichmann head conversion kit for the ease of disassembly for cleaning.
Are you saying you can't throttle the flow that low? Because that would be a show-stopper for me...

Cheers!

 

[ba-brewer]

I run 1 quart per minute during fly-sparge and have no problem doing so with my stock 815pl pumps with the typical ball valve controlled outputs.

I've been considering upgrading these 815pl pumps with the Blichmann head conversion kit for the ease of disassembly for cleaning.
Are you saying you can't throttle the flow that low? Because that would be a show-stopper for me...

Cheers!

I think you could do 1 quart a minute. Just did the math I trickle at about .6 quarts per min as I try to collect about 7.5gal in 45 to 50min.

edit: Figure I should try a live flow rate.

Did the test with 70 or 80F tap water and pump on the ground with tube over the top of a morebeer brew bucket(maybe 12in of lift). I could get a trickle and no pulsing.

Lifted the bucket up to match the height from pump to mash tun inflow (about 36in of lift) and could get the pulsing thing to happen. Minimum steady flow without chugging it took 1 min to fill .5gals so 2quarts per min.

So in my setup I could not do a smooth 1quart per min.

 

[Zooksta]

First thing is it's finicky about sealing up. If you don't assemble that head and seat that o-ring just right, that baby is gonna spew wort all over the place. This is really my main complaint. I can't tell you how many times I have been so perfect with assembly and it still do this.

When I first got my riptide I couldn't get it to seal at all, blichmann ended up sending me an entire new pump head and that solved the problem, no issues with getting a good seal.