Chugger pump question

[Brewnation]

I have two chugger pumps set up on my brewstand with 3/4od an 1/2id silicone hose. Is there a trick getting these things to prime? When I open the valve on keg I'm having trouble getting liquid to flow out. I have to open and close the valve on pump and move hose around. Also when I have them going with valves mostly closed for fly sparging they seem to lose there prime and I need to open them up once in awhile to keep flow. I'm wondering if maybe my hoses are too long or if 3/8id would be better.

 

[dmcman73]

Which way are you pumping? Inlet is the one that forms "P" to the center.

Also, rotate your heads to either go side to side or with the inlet facing up. You can do that by removing the screws on the pump head and rotating it, don't worry, you won't mess anythign up and the head is magnet driven and not directly connected to the motor.

Also, with all valves up, let liquid drain to the pup head then once the hose is filled, begin turning the motor on and then off then on again and keep doing that until it primes.

 

[Brewnation]

Yeah I have inlets at bottom and pumping up. One is sideways because I was having trouble getting it to prime so I was trying sideways. I can switch it back. Do you ever have trouble keeping yours going when slowly fly sparging?

 

[dmcman73]

Yeah I have inlets at bottom and pumping up. One is sideways because I was having trouble getting it to prime so I was trying sideways. I can switch it back. Do you ever have trouble keeping yours going when slowly fly sparging?

Not at all. I have the valve on the outlet side throttling the flow and it never looses prime and works perfectly.

The only thing I can think of is you have the orientation of your pump head wrong. Face the inlet up so that the kettles drain into the head once you open the valves then turn the pump on.

Do you have any possible air leaks before the inlet?

 

[sd_brewbie]

On the outlet of my pumps I have a T fitting with a ball valve attached to each branch of the T, one pointing up which I have connected to my next vessel and one pointing down. To prime I just open the ball valve to let liquid drain through and close it off before starting the pumps. While pumping if I get any air in the system I can always open that ball valve to flush out the air.

 

[Brewnation]

Not at all. I have the valve on the outlet side throttling the flow and it never looses prime and works perfectly.

The only thing I can think of is you have the orientation of your pump head wrong. Face the inlet up so that the kettles drain into the head once you open the valves then turn the pump on.

Do you have any possible air leaks before the inlet?

Makes sense. When I was building the stand I put the pumps with the inlet facing down because all the stands I looked online seem to have that orientation. Maybe I was looking at them wrong. It does seem to make more sense to have the inlet facing up towards the keg and the liquid flowing into it. I will try that on my next Brew Day

 

[dmcman73]

Makes sense. When I was building the stand I put the pumps with the inlet facing down because all the stands I looked online seem to have that orientation. Maybe I was looking at them wrong. It does seem to make more sense to have the inlet facing up towards the keg and the liquid flowing into it. I will try that on my next Brew Day

i just checked Chuggers website and they said that even facing down is good:

DO NOT RUN THE PUMP DRY!

- The Chugger Pump is not self-priming. It needs to be mounted below the source of liquid and the pump head needs to be flooded prior to turning the pump on.

- You can rotate the pump head 90 Degrees. With the outlet pointing to 12:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00.

- You can mount the pump horizontally, vertically and upside down. However, if you mount the pump vertically do not have the motor facing up.

- Do not mount the pump in an enclosed space. This will prevent proper ventilation and may cause the pump to overheat.

Source: http://www.chuggerpumps.com/frequently-asked-questions-home-brewing-pump/product-faq/

Can you take a video of how the water is flowing to the pump head and video what's happening?

 

[jddevinn]

Adding priming vent valves helped my pumps immensely.

 

[sd_brewbie]

Here are my priming vents... Very handy

View attachment 1459261258468.jpg

 

[tmendick]

the hoses seem a bit long, I'd consider cutting the inlet hoses a bit shorter so the liquid has less distance to rise before the pump.

 

[dmcman73]

I'm surprised you all had to add priming vents to your setup, those are generally used for a closed liquid system. I just open up the valve on the other end where the outlet is connected to then open the valve on the kettle the inlet is connected to and the wort/water drains right into the pump head flooding it. Turn the pump on an off a few times to get it going and it's done.

 

[jddevinn]

I'm surprised you all had to add priming vents to your setup, those are generally used for a closed liquid system. I just open up the valve on the other end where the outlet is connected to then open the valve on the kettle the inlet is connected to and the wort/water drains right into the pump head flooding it. Turn the pump on an off a few times to get it going and it's done.

Generally my pumps will prime without an issue if they are simply connected to recirculate water. However occasionally when connected so that there is a pressure restriction (HERMS coil, heat exchanger, whirlpool port) they need a little bump.

 

[sd_brewbie]

I also use them to pull off a gravity sample while transferring from my mash tun to the boil kettle