Chugger Pump, First run smell

squidbait · Mar 29, 2013

I ran my new Chugger pump for the first time today. Everything appears to be running well, but the pump is emitting a fairly strong smell. It is almost a burnt type of smell, and the pump is fairly hot. Is there a break-in period or something with pumps where this is normal? Do pumps run hot? I was surprised that I couldn't find any others who had this issue. I didn't yet notice that it transferred the smell to the water.

Skidsmint · Mar 29, 2013

My Chugger did the same thing the first batch and was hot which is probably normal since its pumping hot wort. The smell became less noticeable on the second batch but still runs pretty hot. I'm assuming that the heat is burning off any oils or residues left over from the manufacturing process. I'll use my pump for the third time this weekend, so I'll post an update on the smell.

squidbait · Mar 29, 2013

Thanks for the reply. I also figured it was residuals oils or whatever, but surprised there weren't any posts about it. I will continue to monitor it.

frank001 · Mar 30, 2013

The smell is normal and you are right to assume it is from the manufacturing process. Oils, dust, new insulation of electrical will all emit mild oder until you have a couple thermal cycles on the pumps. I thought they put their pumps and motors through a burn in process, but the smell would point to the contrary. Id you have any questions about the pumps, contact chugger their customer service is nothing short of exceptional!