Proper Steelhead Pump Usage

[pingeyeg]

I received my Steelhead Pump, from Northern Brewer, last week and tried it over the weekend, but I have to say... I'm not fully sure I understand how this thing is supposed to work. Based on videos and forums I've read, I was under the impression I could use this to move my wort from one place to the next, completely, but I'm wrong. Once the wort is empty from the kettle and gets to the pump, it stops. I then still have wort sitting in the hose waiting to be passed through my plate chiller and into my bucket. Am I doing something wrong? And yes, I do have the pump below my kettle.

My setup:

- Hose going from kettle to pump
- Hose going from pump to plate chiller
- Hose going from plate chiller to bucket

 

[Minbari]

all impeller type pumps will not pump dry. They require liquid on the input to move liquid out the output. In fact you can damage the impeller by running the pump dry.

the type of pump I know that can be run dry and will pump air as well as liquid is a membrane/diaphragm pumps, but those get clogged when pumping Wort, so people dont use them.

 

[pingeyeg]

So, is there something different I should be doing? How do other people do this?

 

[trimixdiver1]

all impeller type pumps will not pump dry. They require liquid on the input to move liquid out the output. In fact you can damage the impeller by running the pump dry.

the type of pump I know that can be run dry and will pump air as well as liquid is a membrane/diaphragm pumps, but those get clogged when pumping Wort, so people dont use them.

Not only that, but its been theorized that the pump blades may hurt the hop resins by breaking them down into smaller units. Im planning on pushing my hot wort with CO2.

 

[pingeyeg]

@trimixdiver1, so, what is your setup going to be to push from the kettle to the chiller to the bucket?

 

[Minbari]

So, is there something different I should be doing? How do other people do this?

once the kettle is dry, you stop pumping. how much beer do you really have in a few feet of hose and the chiller?

at cleanup, just run PBW through the whole setup to clean it out.

 

[pingeyeg]

@Minari,

So, you are saying that I should not worry about that last bit of liquid gold??? But, good point about sending cleaning solution through to get rid of anything left.

 

[Minbari]

@Minari,

So, you are saying that I should not worry about that last bit of liquid gold??? But, good point about sending cleaning solution through to get rid of anything left.

unless you want to run some previously boiled water through the system and watch for the color change at the output. I dont see a way to capture that last pint-quart of beer.

ya, you dont want to leave sugary wort in the lines or the chiller.

 

[FATC1TY]

Disconnect your lines, and drain the rest through it via gravity if you are worried about too much loss.

Add up what you figure you are leaving behind, and adjust your recipes/boil for that additional loss. Consider it kettle loss for the sake of ease and move on with it.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Get air-gun blower and attach it to the end of your CO2 tank.

MC

 

[jafo28]

Disconnect your lines, and drain the rest through it via gravity if you are worried about too much loss.

Add up what you figure you are leaving behind, and adjust your recipes/boil for that additional loss. Consider it kettle loss for the sake of ease and move on with it.

This is what i'm planning on doing when I get my system going.

 

[pingeyeg]

Great, thanks guys! I've got a good idea of what I'm going to do.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yup, you just have to get used to the minor losses. When I first went to pumped systems, I used to pour a pitcher of water into the kettle right at the end to force the last few ounces of wort through the system. After doing that twice I realized that I was saving a precious 50 cents worth of wort.

 

[poptarts]

Yep, use it to fill a hydrometer jar to test OG, that or just cut your losses. you loose way more wort in your MLT to grain absorption. just brew an extra 5oz of beer if it matters that much, but you will find it doesn't.