Cheap compact wort pump

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I used mine the first time a week ago for a double brew day. It worked great. I just need to work out my new layout. Lots of connecting and disconnecting.

You're right about it being quiet. Can't hear it at all with burners on. My favorite aspect so far is how I can use my CFC. I can recirculate full throttle until the temps coming out of the chiller are what I want, then switch directly to the fermenters. Much faster than what I had with just gravity.

That is exactly what we did. It was certainly a group effort for us even if that is not what I wanted. I pumped the wort back into the kettle and checked the temperature. It was nearly ninety. I then looked at the valve on the garden hose and it was barely on. Opened up the chill water and the temperature dropped within seconds to 82. Then I unplugged the pump (I really need a switch), lined up the fermenting buckets, and filled them up.
 
So I have read through almost every post in this thread and still have questions. I just got a new plate chiller and think I need a pump to push wort through and to push pbw through after chilling... Is there a consensus on what he best and CHEAPEST option is? I know it sounds like chiggers are the way to go, but sounds like I can get the little tan pump to suffice. Is that the best option or I'd there something else out there I should be considering? If he tan 12 or 24 volt, I don't really do electricity so explaining like I'm 5 is much appreciated. Lastly I brew with a bayou brew kettle with a screen attached to the female not ball valve at the bottom, what is the best way to get everything connected into my plate chiller?

Thanks for all the help guys
 
The little 2gpm pumps are fine for wort. You may want something a little more powerful to run the pbw. That's your preference though. If get the cheapest one first to get started. You'll still have to run pbw through the pump anyway to clean out the pump. If you find you need something stronger to clean with then just go to lowes and get a 1/4 hp pump and build yourself a cleaning rig. It really depends on the size of your chiller and how much flow is lost to restriction.
 
It would also help it you posted some pics of your setup so we can visually see what you are trying to do.
 
So I have read through almost every post in this thread and still have questions. I just got a new plate chiller and think I need a pump to push wort through and to push pbw through after chilling... Is there a consensus on what he best and CHEAPEST option is? I know it sounds like chiggers are the way to go, but sounds like I can get the little tan pump to suffice. Is that the best option or I'd there something else out there I should be considering? If he tan 12 or 24 volt, I don't really do electricity so explaining like I'm 5 is much appreciated. Lastly I brew with a bayou brew kettle with a screen attached to the female not ball valve at the bottom, what is the best way to get everything connected into my plate chiller?

Thanks for all the help guys

Best and Cheapest? These are not paralleling options. I don’t think you can get best and cheapest. A sliding scale but I truly believe the little tan pump from Amazon or Ebay is worth the money.
I wanted a Chugger but found the tan pump on Amazon and I have a few DC adapters around so $26 and some electrical tape and I had a pump.

Brew Day: 3/7/2015

Lots of new equipment for a delirium tremens clone; tan pump, counter flow chiller, camlocks, silicone tubing, brew stand, and hop spider. Lots to break in and learn how each affects the brew process.
I didn’t use it to move strike water or wort to the boil kettle. I typically heat my strike water in my MLT. I typically empty MLT into buckets, sparge and fill boil kettle.

I did use it to initially pump boiling wort from BK to CFC back to BK as the wort was still a tad bit too hot. It worked great. Then into the fermentation buckets. No problems. Later I ran cleaner through silicone tubing, pump, valves, etc and it worked great.

I’m excited to see how it works next time as I work into the routine with my new equipment. The DT clone nailed temps, pre-boil volume, OG, and came up .04 shy of finishing on FG.Might have been a bit underpitched even with a 2 smack pack starter or I typically ferment a 10 gallon batch in 3 five gallon buckets for headspace. We might have exceeded our anticipated post-boil volume as it is a bit inaccurate to measure and we had been drinking 5-6 hours. Also, I was gathering yeast when they filled the buckets. It tastes amazing g and will get bottled this weekend.

I loved the camlocks and will order more soon. So easy and no leaks. The ½” silicone tubing easily screwed onto the camlock B.
 
Thanks for the link. Is that a 5 gallon recipe? It seems a bit light on the ingredients
 
Thanks guys, gatorwayne it sounds like we have similar setups so I think I am going to run with the tan pump and go from there just gotta figure out all the connections and stuff. Excited about using the plate chiller just heard horror stories of cleaning it
 
Thanks for the link. Is that a 5 gallon recipe? It seems a bit light on the ingredients

It is a 3 gallon recipe. I multiplied by 3.33 to make 10 gallons. I only doubled the yeasts and split the sugar between Belgian candi and table sugar. I have not taken the final gravity but it was at 1.010 last time I checked. Thursday I'm bottling it so it might have lost another point or two and get closer to the predicted 1.006. My son is the real DT fan as I have not actually tasted the original. My small taste while checking gravity was very good but I thought it would be a bit spicier. It will be ready to drink by the time the pool warms up enough to swim. Love having beer while sitting around the table we had built into our pool.
 
Thanks guys, gatorwayne it sounds like we have similar setups so I think I am going to run with the tan pump and go from there just gotta figure out all the connections and stuff. Excited about using the plate chiller just heard horror stories of cleaning it

I'm doing the same thing. I am a bit concerned about getting something from the MLT stuck in the little pump's impeller. Next brew day I'm going to use the pump to pump strike water, sparge water, and finally wort through CFC.

End of day I'll use it help with clean up. I'm using camlocks with silicone tubing which is much easier to me than using hose barbs. I even have hose fittings on my CFC so hopefully no more silicone over vinyl over the copper tube ziptied together to stop leaks. Zip ties certainly stopped the leaks though.
 
FWIW I use the tan pump for everything from HLT, MT, to kettle. The only time I've have issues is from the kettle when I'm trying to drain as much as I can from around the mound of hops.
 
How are you guys cleaning these pumps after your brew day? Do you need to take them apart occasionally?


I run near boiling water through it (and my CF chiller) after brewing is complete. Even with that, I've had to disassemble each brew session to free the impeller. I've also had them stop during each of the last two brew sessions. Has become annoying enough that I've stepped up to a chugger pump.
 
I was wondering if Yous Guys that have had success with the pumps
could post a Picture of how you are mounting it - or enclosing it ?

I have bought the pump & speed control, and I am looking for ideas before I build something

Like Dstauth - thanks for the idea

Thanks to those who will post a Photo !
S

20150223_174820.jpg
 
I was wondering if Yous Guys that have had success with the pumps

could post a Picture of how you are mounting it - or enclosing it ?


I mounted mine on a mobile stand for now. I have used it on 2 ten gallon brew days, pumping from the MLT and BK through the CFC. I gravity sparge the MLT prior to transfer to avoid grain particles. Works like a champ so far and cleaned up great with circulated hot pbw (home made).
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1429233785.719419.jpg
 
I e always just threaded right on to my kettle valve. Never had any issues doing this, though I imagine it would break if I hit it the wrong way
 
I use a PWM. Not sure whether that or a ball valve are better for the pump or if it makes a difference. As for cleaning, I just run hot water through the pump at the end of the brew day for a little while. I don't worry too much about it since the next thing to run through that pump will be next brew days strike water.
 
Do you guys run these little pumps wide open or do you install a valve on the output flow?


I used a PMW for several brew days and was frustrated with the lack of control between almost off and full blast. I just installed a downstream ball valve and am much happier with it.
 
Do you guys run these little pumps wide open or do you install a valve on the output flow?

I used a PMW for several brew days and was frustrated with the lack of control between almost off and full blast. I just installed a downstream ball valve and am much happier with it.
 
I used a PMW for several brew days and was frustrated with the lack of control between almost off and full blast. I just installed a downstream ball valve and am much happier with it.


I don't have that issue with mine. I have pretty much infinite adjustment with a smooth twist of a knob. At the low end, it goes from a trickle to off.
 
I used a PMW for several brew days and was frustrated with the lack of control between almost off and full blast. I just installed a downstream ball valve and am much happier with it.
Maybe it is an amp mismatch? I've read that is possible. Doesn't make sense, but, that's what I've read. I guess it could depend on the circuit.
 
Maybe it is an amp mismatch? I've read that is possible. Doesn't make sense, but, that's what I've read. I guess it could depend on the circuit.

That does indeed seem like a problem. I thought I check the specs before buying but I will look into it. In any case, it works well with the ball valve. Thanks for the reminder.
 
A question about the tan 24v one and that is, what is the most amps this thing should pull or and is there a limit to it. I am thinking about using an old pc transformer. I think they are rated at about 17 volt.

I bought a the black one several years back and had never had problem with it, so now I am thinking about getting the tan pump to circulate my wort through my herms, The black one will push through 19 ft of copper coil, but I think the tan pump could to a better job. Then I could use the black pump for a back up.
 
BTW if you read this thread you will find that most who complained of problems with these pumps and bothered to actually check and report back have admitted that the power supply was the issue... some used ones that weren't rated for enough amps and some used a lower voltage than speced... And then theres the possibility that the supply can just fail which is not uncommon (especially from bad caps as wbarber mentioned) There are also many cases where the pump was dryfired of jammed with grain...
I can only speak for myself but with proper power and prefiltering of the wort this has not been an issue at all for me in over 40 brew sessions with these pumps.

I did have one pump that froze up twice on me and when I pulled it apart I found the shaft bushing seemed to be molded too large and the fit was too tight..
I actually took that part from the pump I dropped and broke and swapped them and I have not had the issue occur since.

This certainly was the case for me. I recently purchased one of the tan pumps off of Amazon along with a 12v, 1A power supply and an inline toggle switch.

pump: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DWORE5A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
power supply: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006GEPUYA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
switch: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006U5JWQW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Once I got the pump wired up and turned it on for the first time, the impeller would just stutter. Basically it would just start and stop really quickly. I verified with a multimeter that the power supply was pushing 12v so at first I thought I bust the pump by running it dry (just for a few seconds to test the power). I ended up finding another 12v, 1A power supply I had in the house for an electronic keyboard and gave it a try instead. As soon as I turned it, the pump started running like a champ!

The odd thing is that when I plugged in the "busted" power supply to the electric keyboard, it powered up and played fine. My best guess is that for some reason the male connector on the original power supply is not making a good connection to the female plug on the pump switch.

I'm just stoked that I got it working, I was getting worried for a little bit :ban:

IMG_0515.jpg
 
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Did run throughs last night with my 12v TS5's. Very happy with the flow at full speed, and they pump boiling water fine. Brewing today. Hopefully nothing clogs.
 
This certainly was the case for me. I recently purchased one of the tan pumps off of Amazon along with a 12v, 1A power supply and an inline toggle switch.

pump: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DWORE5A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
power supply: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006GEPUYA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
switch: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006U5JWQW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Once I got the pump wired up and turned it on for the first time, the impeller would just stutter. Basically it would just start and stop really quickly. I verified with a multimeter that the power supply was pushing 12v so at first I thought I bust the pump by running it dry (just for a few seconds to test the power). I ended up finding another 12v, 1A power supply I had in the house for an electronic keyboard and gave it a try instead. As soon as I turned it, the pump started running like a champ!

The odd thing is that when I plugged in the "busted" power supply to the electric keyboard, it powered up and played fine. My best guess is that for some reason the male connector on the original power supply is not making a good connection to the female plug on the pump switch.

I'm just stoked that I got it working, I was getting worried for a little bit :ban:

its likely that the 12v supply was putting out 12v but not supplying enough amps ...1 amp should have been enough but I have seen many faulty cheap supplies do this... they sometimes only put out a fraction of the current they are rated for. funny because I had an andriod tv box come with that same supply an it was faulty the same way.
 
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A question about the tan 24v one and that is, what is the most amps this thing should pull or and is there a limit to it. I am thinking about using an old pc transformer. I think they are rated at about 17 volt.

I bought a the black one several years back and had never had problem with it, so now I am thinking about getting the tan pump to circulate my wort through my herms, The black one will push through 19 ft of copper coil, but I think the tan pump could to a better job. Then I could use the black pump for a back up.

1 amp or higher is fine... running the 24v pump on 17v will just make it pump slower. a 24v 1 amp supply costs well under $10 shipped from ebay....
 
I used a PMW for several brew days and was frustrated with the lack of control between almost off and full blast. I just installed a downstream ball valve and am much happier with it.

this happens if you try to use the pwm controllers designed for say led lighting instead of driving a motor... basically you need the correct frequency range pwm for driving a motor.
 
this happens if you try to use the pwm controllers designed for say led lighting instead of driving a motor... basically you need the correct frequency range pwm for driving a motor.


Can someone recommend an appropriate PWM from Amazon that will correct that problem for my 12v tops flow pump? Probably in here somewhere but....(I'm being lazy and one of you might know off the top of your head).
 
Topsflow pumps don't work very well with pwm. Unless it's one of the models specifically designed with built in speed control. If all you have is a black and red wire then you won't benefit from a pwm
 
Topsflow pumps don't work very well with pwm. Unless it's one of the models specifically designed with built in speed control. If all you have is a black and red wire then you won't benefit from a pwm

Well, perhaps that explains it. I was under the impression that people were using those with PWMs. I discovered the PWM I bought is an LED PWM. It does regulate speed but very clumsily. I guess I'll be fine with the ball valve downstream.
 
Yeah the topsflo pumps are made for solar applications so the motor will run as fast as possible no matter what voltage it's given.
 
Topsflow pumps don't work very well with pwm. Unless it's one of the models specifically designed with built in speed control. If all you have is a black and red wire then you won't benefit from a pwm


This is the first I have heard this. Mine works great with pwm. Check out a few of Augie's posts on the subject. He has been using these successfully with different combinations for a while.
 
Video or it didn't happen. I've tried multiple pwm setups with solar pumps and none have had the desired effect. And i believe auggie is using the tan pumps
 
PWM on these pumps is a solution without a problem. Chances are, you have/need a ball valve on the output side anyway and the pumps work perfect using one to throttle the flow. IMO a mechanical solution is always better than electrical or automated at the homebrew level. KISS!

(edit: but I understand the need for more toys ;) )
 
This is the first I have heard this. Mine works great with pwm. Check out a few of Augie's posts on the subject. He has been using these successfully with different combinations for a while.

Yes your using the topsflo tan food pumps like me... The black topsflo and stainless ones (without the coated magnets) were designed for solar hot water pump use and use MPPT buck/boost technology to drive the pump as best it can with varying voltage and ampherage from the solar panels.
I posted links to the pwm controllers I use with no issues... they are actually cheaper than a stainless ballvalve and I dont have to clean them. plus I can easily mark my speeds for repeatability... True its Not needed but theres more than one way to skin a cat or make beer :)
 

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