Considering a Pump - Reduce Heavy Lifting

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Jiffster

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I just finished my 4th brew (2nd AG) and I'm starting to see that I want to get out of some of the heavy lifting.

I currently use 1 kettle to heat strike water, set it on a table and drain it into MLT.

Then set the MLT on a table and drain 1st running into bucket.

Then set the heated water on the table and drain into MLT for batch sparge.

The set the MLT on the table to collect 2nd runnings.

Then set kettle on table to drain into carboy.

That's a lot of lifting!

Would a pump make my life easier?
 
Heck yes!! I got a pump years ago and have never looked back. It definitely makes transferring liquids easy (and much safer.)
 
Yes a pump can help a lot.

Just realize there is a little bit of extra cost associated with all the extra fittings. Preferably you'll get Camlocks or some other type of quick disconnect and they can run $4-5 each and you'll need a half dozen or more between hoses, pumps, and vessels.
 
Yep, the fittings and hoses are going to cost a few bucks. Bargainfittings.com has good prices and great service.
 
Rather than a pump, you could try what i refer to as a "poor man's pump", basicly a 1 gallon pitcher lol. Surely not as handy as a pump, but requires no maintenance and very little operator expertise. If your only brewing 5 gallon batches, the amount of liquid to be moved is not that great overall, so merely scooping and moving a 1 gallon pitcher several times can accomplish the same thing as hooking and unhooking a pump....for some simple tasks the "poor mans pump" is easier and faster....JMO

Denny talks about moving sparge water etc here...

http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

You are correct, you are doing too much lifting of your vessels, you could easily transfer your strike and sparge water with a one gallon pitcher. I'm not knocking pumps, but for me they are not effortless, and require hook ups, removal and cleaning of hoses etc....
 
Rather than a pump, you could try what i refer to as a "poor man's pump", basicly a 1 gallon pitcher lol. Surely not as handy as a pump, but requires no maintenance and very little operator expertise. If your only brewing 5 gallon batches, the amount of liquid to be moved is not that great overall, so merely scooping and moving a 1 gallon pitcher several times can accomplish the same thing as hooking and unhooking a pump....for some simple tasks the "poor mans pump" is easier and faster....JMO

Denny talks about moving sparge water etc here...

http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

You are correct, you are doing too much lifting of your vessels, you could easily transfer your strike and sparge water with a one gallon pitcher. I'm not knocking pumps, but for me they are not effortless, and require hook ups, removal and cleaning of hoses etc....

+1 -- I do the same thing with a couple 5 gallon food grade buckets - (about $5 each at Lowes) -- I move about 3 gallons at a time and having two buckets allows me to keep the flow going while I am dumping one of the buckets
 
I've got 2 cam locks with silicone hose I'm using now so I know what you mean.

Until I decide to move into a pump ($$) I'll be able to save my back by using the advice given here too.

Thanks guys!
 
Keep your eyes on Northern Brewer. They often do a "Buy A Steelhead Pump, Get a Free Refractometer!" sale. Or a free burner. Or 2 or 3 free recipe kits. Or something.

That's how I got most of my cool stainless steel fittings and ball valves.
 
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