Have you ever had a Chugger pump fail on you?

[MichaelBD]

Was just brewing my 6th 5 gallon batch yesterday and my chugger pump just died mid mash . Luckily I had another pump so I just switched them and did a batch sparge instead.

I'm just wondering what is the usual life expectancy of these pumps?

 

[Setesh]

Was just brewing my 6th 5 gallon batch yesterday and my chugger pump just died mid mash . Luckily I had another pump so I just switched them and did a batch sparge instead.

I'm just wondering what is the usual life expectancy of these pumps?

I started out with 2 Chuggers. There was a hole the size of a BB in the stainless head of one of them, but they warrantied it out and I had a new one in a few days. The replacement and the other one are still working great, been about six months ago.

I will say that I don't think they do any kind of testing at Chugger before they send these things out the door. There is absolutely no way they could have missed the hole in the pump head, it started peeing on the floor before I even turned it on. As soon as water went into the head it started draining out the hole. Once I actually looked at the head the problem was obvious. I recently got another Chugger to do back to back batches and the thing squeals like a pig! If they started it up they would have realized something isn't right. So far I am 1 for 3 with brand new Chugger pumps, but the other original and the replacement for the holy one are running great. I'll get this squealer swapped out and hopefully its replacement will be good too.

 

[BigFloyd]

I have one less than a year old that "de-coupled" (motor running but not turning the pump head) on me a couple of batches ago. Fortunately, it was right at the end of the mash, so I was able to pull it during the boil and check the head for obstructions or clogs (there were none).

I suppose that it cooled down well enough that it ran OK after I re-installed it and ran boiling hot wort through it for 10 minutes before chilling. Since then it hasn't given me any problems.

 

[herc1354]

I have one less than a year old that "de-coupled" (motor running but not turning the pump head) on me a couple of batches ago. Fortunately, it was right at the end of the mash, so I was able to pull it during the boil and check the head for obstructions or clogs (there were none).



I suppose that it cooled down well enough that it ran OK after I re-installed it and ran boiling hot wort through it for 10 minutes before chilling. Since then it hasn't given me any problems.

I think I had the same thing happen the other day, the flow stopped but the pump motor was still turning, luckily the problem was resolved on its own, I was transferring hot wort to the the wort cooler when this happened.


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[kevink]

I had one die on me while doing my first water test. It was brand new and ran for less than an hour before making a screeching noise and locking up. It seemed like a bearing problem.

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

It can be hit or miss with de-coupling. Sometimes you just need to make sure the pump head is centered over the drum magnet, other times it's a heat issue with the impeller. One of mine recently went OOC, ended up having to replace the drum magnet. Customer service was great, they sent me the new magnet and it works fine now. I think over heating or approaching the heat tolerance over long periods of time will wear down these magnets. I'm not sure if it's just a chugger thing. At any rate it's always a good idea to have a spare.


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[MichaelBD]

UPDATE...

I tried it out again just for the heck of it and it was working just fine!
After about an hour it died on me again and would not start back up. I will only start back up if I leave it there for a while unplugged.

Could this be an overheat or something?

 

[nhwrecker]

I had one of the original plastic head pumps start to make a gawd-awful screeching noise last spring. When I was a the AHC in Phily, I stopped by the Chugger booth, and told them about my problem, and when I had bought the pump. He simply smiled, reached below the counter, and handed me a brand new stainless steel head pump without anymore questions.

That's great customer service - I'm not saying that you'll get a new pump, but I highly recommend you reach out and touch base with the company and see what they have to say as well -

I can't say enough good things about Chugger myself.

Good luck.

 

[herc1354]

I've heard nothing but good reports in regards to chiggers customer service. I have a pump that screams at times, seems to be more of an alignment issue between the magnetic drive and pump head, I've been able to make slight adjustment to the pump head, woks great.


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[mlafnitzegger]

I have had chuggers stop pumping due to heat. Mage a pump box with a pc tornado fan and have not had an issue since.

 

[WildCardBrewing]

From my personal experience, it sounds like a it could potentially be overheating. I've had a chugger for 2 years now and it's still going strong. When I first got it, I put it in a toolbox like some of the folks on here built. In the summer, if the lid was closed, that caused the pump to overheat and stop running. Now, I just make sure it has enough airflow around it to keep it cool when it has hot wort running through it. Haven't had an issue since, but I am mindful of it too.

 

[ChocolateMaltyBalls]

OP: how do you have your pumps mounted? Is it in an enclosure or have a splash guard?

Like others have said the customer service is good with chuggers. Even if it's out of warranty you should talk with them, they can help you figure out what's wrong.


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[MichaelBD]

Here's my setup. I just mount the pumps onto the front side of my brew table.

I'll try using fans to cool them down next time and see how it goes because the pumps get pretty hot.






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