It's time for a chugger...maybe

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psujeeperman02

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Hello all,
Brewed a 10gal batch of a pale today.
Most went well other than forgetting to take a gravity reading before going into fermenter. Oh well!

Anyway, lifting that much volume of liquid is starting to be a pain in the rumpus.
I think it's time to buy a chugger pump.

I just have a few questions before I jump over to Amazon....

1) my HLT, kettle, and mash tun all have 1/2" barbs on them....will the chugger pump fit that size barb?

2) does the pump basically replace the gravity fed parts? In other words, instead of me using a 3 tier setup consisting of a ladder, table, and my burner...would I be able to keep all vessels on the same level?

3) is it safe to use a pump to get the first runnings into the kettle or does the pump suck hard enough to pull the mash through? (Bad choice of words there) [emoji51]
 
If you check the gravity of the fermented beer with both a hydrometer and a refractometer you can derive a pretty good approximation of what the OG must have been using various calculators online. http://seanterrill.com/2012/01/06/refractometer-calculator/ is probably the most popular.

The Chugger has 1/2" MPT fittings on it so you can easily attach 1/2 barbs with 1/2" FPT threads.

You will want a ball valve on the pump output so you can regulate flow without starving the pump.

A great many brewers do use these pumps to drain mash tuns without problems. Starting with the pump's control valve set to greatly restrict flow until the grain bed is properly set is a good idea, though.
 
I see both center inlet pump styles and the inline pump styles. Pros and cons of both types?
 
All beer pumps are center inlet. Some run that inlet out the side, some run it straight out. The idea is that running it straight out makes it easier to prime. The side port makes it easier to keep things neat and orderly. I have never observed any priming difference; my pumps always prime easily in whichever configuration. Right now I am using the straight-out configuration on both of mine.
 
psujeeperman02 said:
I see both center inlet pump styles and the inline pump styles. Pros and cons of both types?
Click to expand...

The biggest difference imho is that the ones with straight center inlets have a larger mpt input than output. The input is 3/4 mpt (iirc) whereas the output is 1/2mpt.

The other configuration with inline inlets and outlet are both 1/2mpt.

This means if you intend to use the very common 1/2mpt valves and barbs with a center inlet pump you'll need an adapter.

Personally i don't think it makes any difference which type you get. Whatever fits your set up better.

I went with the center inlet type because i don't have a good stand yet and the center inlet ones fit better with what I'm using to hold the pumps.

Btw. Quick disconnects are petty handy vs using hose barbs. Brewhardware has some nice parts for using center inlet pumps with 1/2 inch cam locks..
 
psujeeperman02 said:
What is that contraption that the pumps are mounted to? For organization or does it serve another purpose?
Click to expand...

It's a stand made of 1.5in (maybe 1in. Whatever i had laying around) pvc. Mostly it's there to keep the pumps off the ground but they also swivel on the one leg they are attached to. I bolted the pumps together around a galvanized 2inch nipple which fits petty well over the pvc.


When I'm done i wrap the cords around the two uprights.
 
I went center inlet because it was available locally from a brewer switching up their plans. IU just did my first 10 gallon batch and I agree it's a lot of water to move. When I was pouring 13 gallons into my BK I realized why I bought a pump. When I was chilling I could use the pump to move the wort to help it chill faster. I'm considering adding a whirlpool arm to my BK now.

1. You could do a barbed fitting and move the hoses. I'd suggest a quick disconnect. I wouldn't want the hose to slip off with hot wort in it and quick disconnects are probably going to make changing from kettle to kettle much easier. With 1 pump you'll be going from HLT to BK to MLT to BK to whatever a lot more than you think. With 2 pumps you could do barbed fittings and hose clams.

2. yes. You'll be able to do single tier, or a two tier if you wanted to keep your HLT above the mash and gravity feed/sparge while using the pump to move from BK to HLT or MT to BK.

3. It's safe. I do it to recirculate then move to the BK. It's also easy to stick the mash. You'll learn.
 
You have lots of good advice so far, so I wont try to add anything other than Blichmann introduced a new Riptide pump worth taking a look at. I have the SS Chugger pump and like it fine and also consider the Blichmann very appealing. If I was starting fresh as you are, I'd look closely at that Riptide since it offers features you'll likely add on to the Chugger.

FWIW, Homebrew Supply is offering 20% off the Chugger pump for Memorial Day.
 
DurtyChemist said:
I'm considering adding a whirlpool arm to my BK now.
Click to expand...

Best move I ever made. Its a bit daunting to drill into a $400 kettle, but went smooth as silk. Would be difficult to do beers needing late hop WP additions w/o this feature.
 
Morrey said:
Would be difficult to do beers needing late hop WP additions w/o this feature.
Click to expand...


I sure am feeling incompetent just stirring my late hop additions with a wooden paddle :(

I always kinda thought that "whirlpool" addition was more temp dependent than pump dependent, and the phrase "whirlpool addition" was coined because this was the time the wort was at the proper temp, or cooling thru the proper temp range at larger breweries.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm guessing the temperature to be the critical element?
 
wilserbrewer said:
I sure am feeling incompetent just stirring my late hop additions with a wooden paddle :(

I always kinda thought that "whirlpool" addition was more temp dependent than pump dependent, and the phrase "whirlpool addition" was coined because this was the time the wort was at the proper temp, or cooling thru the proper temp range at larger breweries.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm guessing the temperature to be the critical element?
Click to expand...


I think you're right but I do have a whirlpool arm. I like it because I can chill to my desired temp and then walk away for a half hour. The hops are getting agitated and my rims holds the temp I want and I can get some cleaning done.

To bring it back to pumps, I have a chugger and it's great. I've heard a lot recently about the MKII pumps they're a bit cheaper than a chugger and they're supposed to work well. Also, you should definitely look at getting some camlocks. They make taking everything apart for cleaning much faster and easier
 
wilserbrewer said:
I sure am feeling incompetent just stirring my late hop additions with a wooden paddle :(

I always kinda thought that "whirlpool" addition was more temp dependent than pump dependent, and the phrase "whirlpool addition" was coined because this was the time the wort was at the proper temp, or cooling thru the proper temp range at larger breweries.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm guessing the temperature to be the critical element?
Click to expand...


Yeah, probably true. It cools wort down to 180F with WP action quickly w/o having to use immersion chiller until later. Good wort movement helps hop utilization, speeds chilling with IC in place, forms good trub cone to help keep wort clean. Pretty good all around technique

Would I still be able to make good beer w/o one? Sure. More toys, more to clean. Still love the WP.
 
Great great info here....so a little off topic then....the chugger will assist with forming a nice trub cone to help keep a cleaner wort...... I don't have a dip tube so-to-speak pointed towards the bottle of my BK.....I usually either try to keep as much trub into the BK when draining wort. Think the chugger will pull more trub in than usual? I should just play it safe and install a dip tube
 
psujeeperman02 said:
Great great info here....so a little off topic then....the chugger will assist with forming a nice trub cone to help keep a cleaner wort...... I don't have a dip tube so-to-speak pointed towards the bottle of my BK.....I usually either try to keep as much trub into the BK when draining wort. Think the chugger will pull more trub in than usual? I should just play it safe and install a dip tube
Click to expand...

In my case I originally had a 90 degree dip tube just a bit off the kettle bottom. So any trub on the kettle bottom would get sucked up and end up in the fermenter.

I drilled a hole in my kettle and added a whirlpool arm that forms a vortex of sorts for several uses: Reported improved hop utilization for late additions after boil, speeds cooling when used with an immersion chiller, forms a trub cone to get cleaner wort into fermenter.

You can get by w/o this feature but I have enjoyed having a pump and WP arm for the above reasons.

You can certainly add a dip tube, but be careful of any situations you may encounter such as electric elements, etc, depending on your design. I'd suggest a short tube that draws near the kettle side so you can avoid the trub cone that will form in the center.
 
Another question regarding the usage of a pump.....and my apologies for all the questions...I tend to over think things before making a significant purchase.....
If using a pump to mash out....I guess you could no longer fly sparge since that process is slow?
Even batch sparge recommends a slower flow when collecting your runnings. I'm guessing the pump wouldn't be best for mash out after all?
 
Your going to need to put a valve on the output of your pump so you have flow control. Once that is done, you can run what ever flow rate you want with your pump except exceed the max output ;)
 
psujeeperman02 said:
Another question regarding the usage of a pump.....and my apologies for all the questions...I tend to over think things before making a significant purchase.....
If using a pump to mash out....I guess you could no longer fly sparge since that process is slow?
Even batch sparge recommends a slower flow when collecting your runnings. I'm guessing the pump wouldn't be best for mash out after all?
Click to expand...

Konadog said:
Your going to need to put a valve on the output of your pump so you have flow control. Once that is done, you can run what ever flow rate you want with your pump except exceed the max output ;)
Click to expand...

^ THIS ^

put a valve on your pump to control the flow rate and you can fly sparge as fast or as slow as you want. back when I only had one pump, I'd use it to push sparge water from the HLT into the mash, and let the wort run from the MT into a bucket. control the pump flow speed and the MT drain flow speed using ball-valves (on the pump outlet and the MT respectively). now that I have two pumps, one pushes sparge water into the MT and one pushes wort into the BK (so no lifting buckets of hot liquid) and I control the transfer/sparge speed using valves on the output of each pump..

you can fly or batch sparge with this set up,, the only difference is how you use the pumps.

fly sparging is basically how I described above.. to batch sparge you setup the pumps identically, but only operate them one at a time.. (or you can use one pump and swap the hoses between steps).. first you pump the wort from the MT into the BK -- as slow or as fast as you like. then you pump sparge water into the MT (fast as you please.. this doesn't really need to be slow).. give it a good stir, let it sit if you like, maybe recirculate/vorlauf for a while using your pump to clear the wort and set the grainbed again.. then pump the second running into the BK -- again as fast or as slow as you like by adjusting the valve on the pump output.
 
helterscelter said:
^ THIS ^



put a valve on your pump to control the flow rate and you can fly sparge as fast or as slow as you want. back when I only had one pump, I'd use it to push sparge water from the HLT into the mash, and let the wort run from the MT into a bucket. control the pump flow speed and the MT drain flow speed using ball-valves (on the pump outlet and the MT respectively). now that I have two pumps, one pushes sparge water into the MT and one pushes wort into the BK (so no lifting buckets of hot liquid) and I control the transfer/sparge speed using valves on the output of each pump..



you can fly or batch sparge with this set up,, the only difference is how you use the pumps.



fly sparging is basically how I described above.. to batch sparge you setup the pumps identically, but only operate them one at a time.. (or you can use one pump and swap the hoses between steps).. first you pump the wort from the MT into the BK -- as slow or as fast as you like. then you pump sparge water into the MT (fast as you please.. this doesn't really need to be slow).. give it a good stir, let it sit if you like, maybe recirculate/vorlauf for a while using your pump to clear the wort and set the grainbed again.. then pump the second running into the BK -- again as fast or as slow as you like by adjusting the valve on the pump output.
Click to expand...


Whoa!! Thanks for this. Very very helpful.
Adding a ball valve or two to my Amazon cart as we speak!
 
Not my picture, but you get the idea!

thumb2_img_9832-66665.jpg
 
How do you guys clean your pumps after a brew day? I've heard that running PBW through them can actually cause issues with the nylon washer inside? I'd think that simply replacing the washer with a stainless would rectify that problem? Any other tips or tricks regarding cleaning those badboys?
 
psujeeperman02 said:
Another question regarding the usage of a pump.....and my apologies for all the questions...I tend to over think things before making a significant purchase.....
If using a pump to mash out....I guess you could no longer fly sparge since that process is slow?
Even batch sparge recommends a slower flow when collecting your runnings. I'm guessing the pump wouldn't be best for mash out after all?
Click to expand...

I didn't see answers to these, though I might have missed them.

Mash out is temperature and has nothing to do with pumping. Raising the mash temperature to stop conversion. This is only necessary if doing a long fly sparge.

You then do a fly sparge as normal. You control the pump flow to keep about 2 inches above the grain bed as wort is drawn out of the bottom.

When batch sparging, you do a vorlauf to set the grain bed. That is, you slowly drain off wort until it flows clear. You pour this back into the mashtun on top of the grainbed. Once it is flowing clearly you can open the valve all the way, usually. With a pump you most likely would not want it pulling at full force though. It might suck the grainbed down and collapse a false bottom or braid, or cause a stuck sparge.

I use all gravity, so no pumps at all in my setup. 5 gallon batches. Unless I went electric indoors, even if I upgraded to 10 gallons, it would be a gravity system.
 
psujeeperman02 said:
How do you guys clean your pumps after a brew day? I've heard that running PBW through them can actually cause issues with the nylon washer inside? I'd think that simply replacing the washer with a stainless would rectify that problem? Any other tips or tricks regarding cleaning those badboys?
Click to expand...

Generally i run water through mine. I use one pump exclusively for sparge water so no cleaning really necessary. The other i use for pumping wort and recirculation for cooling. I run water through for a couple minutes to flush.

I'll take them apart every couple brews for a good cleaning. That's partially why i got the valves i did. They are way easier to clean than a ball valve. (Also easier to control the flow when fly sparging)
 
RevKev said:
Also PBW destroying the washers if a myth, they get desired more or less because of the friction and use not because a caustic solution is passed through them
Click to expand...

Have you tried replacing with a stainless washer? Im sure it would work fine.
 
helterscelter said:
definitely dont run these pumps dry
Click to expand...


Yes I definitely agree ... Didn't mention running dry.


psujeeperman02 said:
Have you tried replacing with a stainless washer? Im sure it would work fine.
Click to expand...

That definitely would solve any issues. And I was solely pointing out as you asked if PBW was incompatible with pumps and I wanted to say that is a myth. The washers wear down due to normal wear and tear. Nylon is strong but not as resilient as SS.

Thats just one reason I purchased this guy.

View attachment 1496269490624.jpg
 
I second the riptide - mine showed up last week and I have to say one of the best purchases I have ever made. Been using an old March for years and this blows it out of the water in terms of performance and simplicity. It just works!
 
Got my chugger. Connected it up to test. Now I didn't have enough time to tinker but the chugger kind of "chugged" the water from HLT to BK.
It wasn't a steady stream...for arguments' sake....it pumped say a pint of water...stopped for a few seconds...then pumped another pint through.

This is my first chugger, so I don't know if it's normal or not.
Watching YouTube, it doesn't appear that others work the same way.
Maybe I didn't prime it properly?

Any thoughts?
 
psujeeperman02 said:
Got my chugger. Connected it up to test. Now I didn't have enough time to tinker but the chugger kind of "chugged" the water from HLT to BK.
It wasn't a steady stream...for arguments' sake....it pumped say a pint of water...stopped for a few seconds...then pumped another pint through.

This is my first chugger, so I don't know if it's normal or not.
Watching YouTube, it doesn't appear that others work the same way.
Maybe I didn't prime it properly?

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Sounds like your pump wasn't primed properly. To get a good flow you need to make sure the pump head is full of liquid. No air. Also make sure your pump inlet is unrestricted. No valves on the inlet only on the outlet.
 
Morrey said:
Best move I ever made. Its a bit daunting to drill into a $400 kettle, but went smooth as silk. Would be difficult to do beers needing late hop WP additions w/o this feature.
Click to expand...

Or do what I did...make one of these for$30.

http://betatestbrewing.com/whirlpool-arm.html

I get a great whirlpool with a chugger and no holes in my nice welded port kettle.
 

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