Mark II Keg Washer Pump

[GTaylor]

My pump went out and would like to know if there is a replacement pump available. Have found some online but am not sure if the threaded opening will take the threaded PVC pipe.

Thanks for your help.

 

[jcs]

Mine failed too. A standard submersable aquarium pump will fit the threaded pvc pipe. You want about 500 gpm.

 

[MarkII]

Hi Guys,

This is Mark from Mark's Keg Washer. There is a one-year warranty on the pump, so if you had a problem before that, get in touch. Also, if you are out of warranty and want a new pump, I can get one to you for $35 which includes postage (send me an email with serial number on the pump and date of purchase to [email protected]).

Sometimes, you can get the pump going again:

Take the pump apart and inspect it, loosen the impeller from the magnet, and put it back together again. It might come back to life.

Pop off the front cover, stick your fingers in the spokes of the impeller housing and twist counterclockwise about 1/4 turn. The whole thing should come apart.

Remove the impeller/magnet from the axle (don't lose the little rubber tip that comes on the end of the axle). The impeller has almost half a turn of play between it and the magnet before it hits a stop. It should be fairly loose. If the impeller isn't loose, rotate it back and forth on the magnet till it loosens up a bit. Some people have even used food grade silicone to get it to rotate better.

Note: the magnet and impeller are one assembly, they don't come apart. If they are in 2 parts, then it is broken and needs replacement.

I'm not sure how the impeller and magnet work together, but I have seen that if they are too stiff, the pump wont work.

Let me know how it works for you or if something inside is broken. Most of the time, when a pump stops working, it's the impeller.

I have also seen people lose the little rubber tips which hold the axle on the center axis. Unfortunately, I don't have spare rubber tips. I have seen the little rubber tip fold over in the impeller cover which also causes the pump not to work.

One last thing, sometimes people use really hot water with the pbw and it triggers the thermal switch in the pump. If that happens, unplug, let it cool for a while and it will jump back to life. The coils in the pump are cooled by the water going through the pump, so if the water is really hot, problems occur. Using hot water out of the tap doesn't seem to be a problem

The pumps are fairly simple and really tough, not a lot of things can go wrong with them.

Mark

 

[jcs]

Thanks for the information, Mark. I got the pump working again after I took it apart, added silicone, and put it back together.

 

[kiboko]

Picking up on this old thread hoping Mark will follow up.

My pump has failed and I have take it apart cleaned the magnet/impeller to not success. Looking at my center axel I feel that it may not be straight.

When I re-assemble and try to flick start the pump, It will run for sec or two a lot of wobble/vibration and stop. I am certain I have both ends centered correctly in the rubber stopper/holders. So the axel is centered, but when I pass it through my fingers it does not feel 'right'.

Is there a replacement axel I could try. Spending on a new complete pump in not in the cards for at the moment.

Thank you

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

The link didn't work for me.
Is this an actual keg washer??
If so... why do you need one??
A simple rinse and Oxi clean soak every once and a while is all it takes...just curios

 

[tjosborne]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1490478847.037090.jpg
Just replaced mine with this. $40 shipped from Harbor Freight.

 

[Squidmanoo7]

Picking up on this old thread hoping Mark will follow up.

My pump has failed and I have take it apart cleaned the magnet/impeller to not success. Looking at my center axel I feel that it may not be straight.

When I re-assemble and try to flick start the pump, It will run for sec or two a lot of wobble/vibration and stop. I am certain I have both ends centered correctly in the rubber stopper/holders. So the axel is centered, but when I pass it through my fingers it does not feel 'right'.

Is there a replacement axel I could try. Spending on a new complete pump in not in the cards for at the moment.

Thank you

I work construction and I have worked on a lot bigger pumps.....I'm not sure if you can take the shaft out of the motor but if you can you can try to straighten it using a vise just got easy and work it around......cheers!

 

[robfar]

View attachment 394053
Just replaced mine with this. $40 shipped from Harbor Freight.

I also got this one, but it's far from an exact replacement:

1. It's much longer, so you have to take the filter assembly off to be able to center the riser for kegs and carboys. I can no longer toss broken-down ball lock connectors in the basin while cleaning a keg, because small parts could get sucked in without a screen.

2. A 3/4 to 1/2 bushing is required, raising the height of everything. I can no longer fit a carboy on without removing the keg washing tee assembly. The carboy would rest on the tee assembly and tilt. I miss switching between kegs and carboys without taking things apart, but it still works.

 

[Sparkologist]

It appears that the axle / spindle of mine can is made of what feels like porcelain and it is broken. Only a couple months old.

 

[Drumminguy81]

Sorry to hijack but does anyone know if the brau supply pumps are made by Mark ii? They look very similar..

 

[robfar]

Mark II doesn't make pumps. They may source the same pump from a 3rd party.

 

[jmhlavka]

Just wanted to say thanks-again-to all the Homebrewtalkers (especially Mark for his 12-15 post). My keg kicked last night, so this morning I pulled out my Keg Washer and the pump was no-go. I've only used it 5-6 times, so I turned to the trusty folks here. Turns out my tap water IS too hot, I think. Took the pump apart and all looked good, so I put it back together and into a bucket of cold water for a few minutes. Without thinking I turned it on to test it and BAM! water hits the ceiling and I get a quick cold shower! ...but at least my keg is getting blasted now as I type.

 

[elcapitannorte]

Tonight I experienced the same failure it seems, but cooling the pump off did not fix it. I disassembled the pump and found the plastic collars that hold the magnetic body to the impeller were no longer attached. It appears they were held by glue that must have failed (I've owned mine for a couple years and have used it a couple dozen times, usually with hot water). I tried to reattach them with Gorilla Glue, but didn't have a great way to clamp them so hopefully it will bond. I'll update after testing.

 

[elcapitannorte]

The glue seemed to hold so far after a quick test with cold water. It took a bit of keg lube on either ends' rubber grommet to assist its spin. I also had to adjust the placement of the magnet and impeller as it did not spin at first. I pushed them back to the rear of the pump and that did the trick. I anticipate having to adjust it from time to time. I may look into getting a replacement impeller if it requires much more maintenance.

 

[yeastbound]

Sorry to bump this one, but I ran into the same problem. Amazon to the rescue!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XMXLFV3/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It's damn near the same pump that comes with the Mark II. Might be a hair taller, but works with all attachments and plenty powerful.

 

[snowtiger1987]

I have a different problem. My keg dip tube attachment broke. The barb that I attach the cleaning line specifically. Does anyone know where I can get a replacement for that? It can't cost more than a couple dollars to produce.

 

[day_trippr]

Short of contacting the manufacturer directly (there's actually a phone number at the Mark web site) I suspect that part is not going to be found.

When I assembled my Mark II and eyeballed that fitting the gears were already turning on how I'd replace it if it failed. If that barb sheared off I'd be inclined to drill and thread the original hole for a 1/4" barb X 1/8" MPT ss fitting (SSMPTHstem - 04C03225) like this:

Cheers!

 

[jmhlavka]

I have a different problem. My keg dip tube attachment broke. The barb that I attach the cleaning line specifically. Does anyone know where I can get a replacement for that? It can't cost more than a couple dollars to produce.

I lost mine a while back. I emailed Mark ([email protected]) and he replied:
That part is custom made by me. It looks like a common part, but it isn't.
You would be surprised how many do-it-yourself types contact me for that part.
I can get you one for $7 with the postage included.
go to the web site purchase page, at the bottom buy 1 five and 2 one dollar buttons.
Much easier than rigging something!

 

[benducklow]

Came across this post as my pump was flaking out. As described earlier by @MarkII, I simply disassembled, confirmed all looked ok, then put it back together and BAM!, started working again. Not sure if it's a permanent solution, but it beats sourcing a replacement pump for the time being.

 

[staffordj]

I just bought one of these, put it together, filled it up and turned it on. The pump made some rattling noise ran for 5 or so seconds and then stopped. Following the instructions, I took it apart. When I pulled out the impeller, the magnet stayed with the motor. Can someone confirm that the impeller and magnet are supposed to be one piece and that there is no easy way to fix this? I think that is what @MarkII was saying in an earlier post, but I am not sure.

 

[hout17]

Or pay $18.99 and free shipping for a new pump off eBay. I grabbed the 660gph one a couple years ago after mine broke and it's been running like a champ ever since. It's plug a play with your kegwasher.

eBay link

 

[day_trippr]

Yes, the magnet is supposed to be attached to the back of the impeller.