Chugger pump in an ammo box build

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Mtn_Brewer

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I decided I needed another pump in my system and I decided to try the Chugger pump steelhead out. I wanted a modular unit that I could use for multiple purposes, so I decided to follow the recent "pump in a box" trend using a 50 cal ammo box I got at the local surplus store. I used a reducer on the central inlet, which fit snuggly against the front of the box and attached to the male side of a quick-connect. I used stainless elbows, ball valve, pipes and nipples from Bargain Fittings for the rest of the plumbing. It fit together amazingly well with no leaks and no hammering to get things in. I wired it so the fan would always be on when it is plugged in and used a toggle switch to control the pump. I was very pleased with how it initially turned out, but then came the testing/trouble shooting.

I have a March pump that I've used in my RIMS control box for quite some time without a problem but I was curious to see if the more affordable Chugger pump would work as well. The last photo in the set is the inside of my RIMS control box. It uses a 4 inch conputer fan for cooling. I read about some people having issues with the Chugger overheating when put in a small box, so I initially used a 3 inch computer fan, thinking that if a 4 inch worked for a large tool box than a 3 inch should surely work for an ammo box. I was sorely mistaken. In 80 degree weather, I tried to pump 130 degree cleaning solution through the box and it started overheating almost immediately. I could barely touch the Chugger pump it was so hot in about 5 minutes and by ~ 15 minutes, it had overheated and the internal thermal switch shut off the motor. I was a little bummed but still determined to make it work. I "went big" and found a 240 CFM AC 6 inch computer fan from Frozen CPU and installed it as shown. I kept the 3 inch fan in the front. I gave it another run today. In 80 degree temps, I ran it for 15 minutes with boiling water running through it at a very low rate. The pipes got to about 165 degree on the exterior but the pump temp stayed about 110. I used a thermopen to measure temps. I turned off the burner and then opened the pump to full throttle. The pipes got up to ~ 180 degree but the chugger only got up to ~ 121. As soon as the temp of the water started coming down, so did the temp of the pump. By the time the water temp got down to 140, the pump was down to ~ 110. For comparison, I ran a similar experiment on my March pump and with only the 4 inch computer fan, the pump temp only went up to ~ 108 degrees.

Bottom line, I like it. My sense is that the Chugger runs hotter than the March but I can't be exactly sure as the two boxes are clearly different. This biuld does show, however, that with adequate (so would say overkill) ventilation that a Chugger in a small box, pumping at boiling temps will still work.

Thoughts?

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Totally spectacular!

But regarding the cooling of the pump. Have you drilled holes on the opposite side of the fans? If not, maybe do it as you'll get airflow which passes across the pump. If you could get all the air entering the box through holes on the oppisite side by sealing off cracks and gaps, that would give you optimal cooling.

Edit: ah I just saw you have a fan on the short side. But do you have inlet holes for the air?
 
I would not recommend this type of set up with any pumps. The motor needs to be well ventilated. This cannot be done even with a fan setup like this one. The pump head is stainless steel and will hold more heat than a plastic head. The motors are all Open Drip Proof and can withstand a fair amount of liquid splashed on them. Besides if you damage a motor from liquid Chugger will send you a new one free of charge. Glad to answer any questions anytime 800-810-1053

MIKE


Totally spectacular!

But regarding the cooling of the pump. Have you drilled holes on the opposite side of the fans? If not, maybe do it as you'll get airflow which passes across the pump. If you could get all the air entering the box through holes on the oppisite side by sealing off cracks and gaps, that would give you optimal cooling.

Edit: ah I just saw you have a fan on the short side. But do you have inlet holes for the air?
 
chuggerpumps said:
I would not recommend this type of set up with any pumps. The motor needs to be well ventilated. This cannot be done even with a fan setup like this one. The pump head is stainless steel and will hold more heat than a plastic head. The motors are all Open Drip Proof and can withstand a fair amount of liquid splashed on them. Besides if you damage a motor from liquid Chugger will send you a new one free of charge. Glad to answer any questions anytime 800-810-1053

MIKE

The 40 CFM fan is blowing over the head and the 240 CFM fan is blowing over the motor. The inlets are the round vents and the exhaust is out the back screen. It's like a wind tunnel out the back. It's hard to imagine that leaving it outside a box would give it more ventilation than 280 CFM blowing over it but your warning has been heard.

I do have one question. At what temperature does the thermal switch turn the motor off?
 
The thermal switch is at 125F.( switch is right on the windings) When you put the head of the pump in an enclosed space like that it turns the box into an oven. The SS head will retain heat and radiate it throughout the box. If your setup works, that is great and we will always support you if you have any problems. The hot weather really complicates the cooling issue too.

chuggerpumps said:
I would not recommend this type of set up with any pumps. The motor needs to be well ventilated. This cannot be done even with a fan setup like this one. The pump head is stainless steel and will hold more heat than a plastic head. The motors are all Open Drip Proof and can withstand a fair amount of liquid splashed on them. Besides if you damage a motor from liquid Chugger will send you a new one free of charge. Glad to answer any questions anytime 800-810-1053

MIKE

The 40 CFM fan is blowing over the head and the 240 CFM fan is blowing over the motor. The inlets are the round vents and the exhaust is out the back screen. It's like a wind tunnel out the back. It's hard to imagine that leaving it outside a box would give it more ventilation than 280 CFM blowing over it but your warning has been heard.

I do have one question. At what temperature does the thermal switch turn the motor off?
 
I just dug this old thread up because I was planning on doing something similar, then saw chuggerpumps' response. So now my question is: how did your pump hold up?

One of my reasons for wanting to do this was for portability of the pump, but I may have to rethink that idea. The other reason was to protect the motor from liquids, but chuggerpumps said that they're splash proof, so that reason is no longer valid. I'm running out of reasons to do this.
 
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