How is your pump plumbed? and why?

[TipsySaint]

So I have a pump! It's a chugger SS! I will have all the cam lock connections and sight glasses i need to use my pump thanks to Bobby at Brew Hardware!

Right now i'm thinking i'll do 6" of rigid tubing on either side and one ball valve on the out. Hose barbs on either side with 5' of 1/2" ID silicone tubing on either side with female cams to plug into my various kettles and tuns as needed. I think that the rigid tubing will help the pump settle out and prevent cavitation. I'm concerned about the 5' of captive flex tubing on the pump and that might not let the pump dry out.... maybe i need cam locks there instead of hose barbs....

So what I actually need to know is, how do I setup the plumbing on the pump itself. I've seen bleeder valves on out side, I've seen ball vales on just the out and on the in and out sides. I've see fittings directly on the pump and i've seen 3"-6" of rigid tubing on the pump and then valves. I've also seen some sort of pressure dials, which I assume you might be able to equate to GPM to help throttle the pump better....

I haven't purchased any of the plumbing needed for this part of the product, so I'm looking for your opinions and experiences.... Pics of your setups would be great too!

As for the electrical right now i'm just going to plug and unplug as the pump came with a wall plug, I may get fancy with mounting and switches later; but not just yet.

Thank in advance all!

:rockin:

 

[November]

Both of my pumps are set up with a 1.5 inch tri clamp on the inlet and a 90 degree elbow going to ball valve then a tri clamp on the outlet. My old rig was the same except qd's instead of tri clamp.

I've never had a problem with the pumps. To me the rigid tubing is just something else to clean that may not be easy to drain when you are done. The valve on the inlet doesn't seem necessary either since you should control flow from the outlet side, unless it is a three way and you are using it to select from different sources.

I've never used bleeders, watch Bobby's video on how to prime a pump and you will never need one.

If your not going to build in a switch you could always buy an extension cord that has a power switch on the female end and leave the pump plugged in and just cycle that. Might be a bit more convenient.

Good luck, I love my pumps they made my brew day so much easier.

 

[zach976]

This is how my Chugger is set up. Works great. I have the tee with a ball valve on the output side to burp the air in the line if needed. Using the camlocks makes it east to remove your hose to allow pump to dry out after use.


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[royal1911]

I just set my pump up last week. I had a hard time priming the pump at first but installed a tee with a bleeder valve. I'm very happy with it now.


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[ChefRex]

Following along, built a pump box but have not finalized the plumbing connection.

 

[royal1911]

Here is how I rigged up the electrical panel. Cost about $30 on amazon




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[ArcaneXor]

Here is how I rigged up the electrical panel. Cost about $30 on amazon

View attachment 218661


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Nice. I need to build myself an electrical panel - I have spilled wort on surge protectors sitting on the ground one too many times.

 

[TipsySaint]

Here is how I rigged up the electrical panel. Cost about $30 on amazon

View attachment 218661


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Royal, what do you search for on amazon to find a box like that? that is awesome!:rockin:

 

[TipsySaint]

Anyone ever rig up a PSI gauge on the out side and do calculations to gallons per minute?

 

[Bobby_M]

It's a clever idea but it's going to vary based on which port you are pumping to unless all "to" vessel ports are installed at the same height with the same plumbing inside.

 

[groundchuck]

Here is my pump. I have since added a switch to the board the pump is mounted too. Like others have said, I previously used a power cord with a switch on it for the start/stop function. I have a gravity stand so my pump is used for "liquid transfer" rather than "flow control". I use it to move the hot water up to the HLT and to whirlpool chill after the boil. This is why I don't have any valves on it. It runs wide open just fine (make sure you keep it fed with liquid and don't sleep on the switch! It's amazing how fast it pumps ........... vs gravity ).

I keep the pump hanging on the stand when not in use. When I am using it I keep it well below the liquid level in the Boil Kettle which makes priming a snap. In my set up I see no need for a bleeder valve. When I open the valve from the BK to prime the pump you can see the liquid flow through the pump and then about 6" up into the Outlet hose. No problem at all with priming.

 

[royal1911]

Cool setup chuck. I read about a setup like this in "brew like a pro" but used two burners instead. I have a buddy about to start brewing. I may steer him in this direction in the beginning.


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[30Bones]

K.I.S.S. Why over think something so simple? Oh wait we are homebrewers

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I did not plumb my pump. Nor did I level it. With very little coersion it gives great head.

 

[royal1911]

Royal, what do you search for on amazon to find a box like that? that is awesome!:rockin:

Here is the box cover....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MYIKAY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

And the gang box

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GLR2NA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[TipsySaint]

Here is the box cover....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MYIKAY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

And the gang box

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GLR2NA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Again :rockin:

 

[eric19312]

Here is how I rigged up the electrical panel. Cost about $30 on amazon

View attachment 218661


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Royal I am not understanding. Did you cut the cord? Can you take off the cover and show me whats in the box?

 

[royal1911]

Royal I am not understanding. Did you cut the cord? Can you take off the cover and show me whats in the box?

Yes, I cut off the cord. I got the idea from this thread.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/chugger-pump-modular-waterproof-gfci-box-480922/

 

[royal1911]

Royal I am not understanding. Did you cut the cord? Can you take off the cover and show me whats in the box?

Here is the thread for my brew stand build


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/2-tier-wooden-brew-stand-485160/

 

[zolakk]

I did something similar with the same electrical box/switch combo (they have them at Home Depot & Lowes too BTW), but instead of cutting the cord on the pump I cut 6" off the end of an outdoor extension cord and have the extension cord as the supply and the 6" pigtail with the female end of the extension cord hanging out of the bottom wired to the load side of the switch so I could use it to control anything I wanted

 

[eric19312]

I did something similar with the same electrical box/switch combo (they have them at Home Depot & Lowes too BTW), but instead of cutting the cord on the pump I cut 6" off the end of an outdoor extension cord and have the extension cord as the supply and the 6" pigtail with the female end of the extension cord hanging out of the bottom wired to the load side of the switch so I could use it to control anything I wanted

and not void your pump warranty!

sold! this is perfect answer

 

[royal1911]

and not void your pump warranty!



sold! this is perfect answer

Yes. I didn't cut the cord to my pump. I just plug it in the waterproof box and unplug when I'm finished brewing


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