pump advice for $50 Herms Build

[tj_moody]

Anyone use one of these pumps?

Huhushop(TM) Solar DC 12V 24V Hot Water Circulation Pump Brushless Motor Water Pump 3M 5M Low Noise csf (DC 12V)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DWORE5A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

only $20.00, and food safe. Just wondering if there are any reviews on it.

Thanks

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Looks similar to the ones some on here are using..........I think the ones they are choosing are by "U S Solar", or something like that.

There is a lengthy thread about them, and the pros and cons of the different models, of which the one you posted looks very similar.

 

[thekraken]

Also interested. Something like this would be a lot easier on the wallet than a march pump if your only using it for $50 HERMS.

Stealthcruiser, do you have a link to that discussion?

 

[grainbill]

Only rated to 100 degrees, doesn't give you much latitude....that's the deal with March and Chugger pumps, they are rated to 250 degrees...

 

[poptarts]

ive had my eye on this pump for awhile
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-DC-12...907?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a4390d623

 

[poptarts]

actually this thing looks pretty boss, even states food safe and for brewing, pretty sure its basically a great brew eh pump or one of those us solar pumps
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-Batte...923?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19f08c836b

 

[thekraken]

Only rated to 100 degrees, doesn't give you much latitude....that's the deal with March and Chugger pumps, they are rated to 250 degrees...

It looks like it's rated to 100 degrees Celsius, enough for mash temps

 

[Stealthcruiser]

Also interested. Something like this would be a lot easier on the wallet than a march pump if your only using it for $50 HERMS.

Stealthcruiser, do you have a link to that discussion?

Try this one.......'Bout 90 or so pages worth!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/cheap-compact-wort-pump-375904/

 

[augiedoggy]

Only rated to 100 degrees, doesn't give you much latitude....that's the deal with March and Chugger pumps, they are rated to 250 degrees...

They work fine with boiling liquids.... been using two for a year now. I believe using a ball valve to control their flow burns them up so I use cheap pwm speed controller's and adjust the flow with a knob.
March and chuggers pumps are way to big for the flow leveIs I'm looking for... plus 100c is 212f.... you tell me how your ever going to find yourself pumping a liquid hotter that 212 in the home brewing world?

 

[thekraken]

They work fine with boiling liquids.... been using two for a year now. I believe using a ball valve to control their flow burns them up so I use cheap pwm speed controller's and adjust the flow with a knob.
March and chuggers pumps are way to big for the flow leveIs I'm looking for... plus 100c is 212f.... you tell me how your ever going to find yourself pumping a liquid hotter that 212 in the home brewing world?

So pwm works just fine for flow control then? How did you implement your pwm control? Can you elaborate on why a ball valve would burn em up?

Any problems to speak of from the year of use? Or tips?

Would you like any more questions? cheers

 

[thekraken]

actually this thing looks pretty boss, even states food safe and for brewing, pretty sure its basically a great brew eh pump or one of those us solar pumps
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-Batte...923?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19f08c836b

This appears to be the same one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E0FXR6K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[grainbill]

They work fine with boiling liquids.... been using two for a year now. I believe using a ball valve to control their flow burns them up so I use cheap pwm speed controller's and adjust the flow with a knob.
March and chuggers pumps are way to big for the flow leveIs I'm looking for... plus 100c is 212f.... you tell me how your ever going to find yourself pumping a liquid hotter that 212 in the home brewing world?

misread the specs, didn't realize it was Celsius. Nice to have the buffer of 38f, like I wouldn't like to put 15 gal of wort in my kettle 15 gal pot before I start to boil.

 

[poptarts]

This appears to be the same one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E0FXR6K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Nice it does indeed, and people in the reviews say its good for homebrew.

 

[rekoob]

Seems like I remeber this pump being 10 or 15 cheaper just a few months ago. I want to say I saw it for something like 12.
Has it increased in price that much? I know some of the links are "like" pumps but still haven't seen one below 20.

 

[thekraken]

Nice it does indeed, and people in the reviews say its good for homebrew.

I'm a little weary of this pump. It's strange to me that neither listings give the manufacturer or any kind of model number. I'd be more comfortable if I could call up the actual manufacturer and talk to them about the food safety part, or look into the company. Given the lack of information, and the eBay sellers location, it would seem these are probably built in China so I wouldn't be able to talk to them anyway. Would you be comfortable with your wort flowing through it?

Sometimes I can be a little paranoid when it comes to chemicals and food.

 

[poptarts]

I would, i plan on buying one for my small BIAB system.

 

[augiedoggy]

misread the specs, didn't realize it was Celsius. Nice to have the buffer of 38f, like I wouldn't like to put 15 gal of wort in my kettle 15 gal pot before I start to boil.

The thing is your liquid won't go over 212 degrees.... at 250 degrees it would likely be steam..... when I have a roaring boil in my system it doesn't even register 212

These pumps are made in china like most of the bigger stainless pumps, the difference is no one have rebranded them and marketed them as their own like the others... so there's no crazy markups the magnets on these are coated making them food safe many members here have bought them and disected them.

You can find these pumps in both 12v and slightly stronger 24v and they range in price depending on who you buy them from... I got mine for 18 bucks shipped from a seller in cali.

 

[grainbill]

mox nix

 

[thekraken]

I would, i plan on buying one for my small BIAB system.

What about one of these for flow control: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003L4KKF2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[augiedoggy]

What about one of these for flow control: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003L4KKF2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

From what I've read those aren't the proper frequency to control the motor... I used these ones myself.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LNUGHGC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[poptarts]

just use a ball valve they are magnatic drive.

 

[augiedoggy]

just use a ball valve they are magnatic drive.

The issue with that is a lot of the early adopter went that route with these pumps and it seem to sieze them up. The pwm controllers are about $7 shipped on eBay and work very well.

 

[poptarts]

ill keep that in mind then for my build, thanks.

 

[tj_moody]

From what I've read those aren't the proper frequency to control the motor... I used these ones myself.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LNUGHGC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

So do you run a battery to the controller, then the controller to the pump?

 

[AnOldUR]

 

[Smellyglove]

I have a (three of them) black version of these solar pumps, and they are magnetically driven. Over the course of one year I've had two of them fail. I don't know the reasons.

But technically speaking I think a restricting valve would work. In my current setup I have restricting valves on just one of the pumps. This pump has survived the two other pumps which failed which had 0 restriction what so ever to them, not even a short hose or anything, just straight in straight out. They were submerged, but the electricity-part works, its just that they don't spin the impeller anymore.

I don't think burning out a motor if your have a restriction after the output is the issue. Like long hoses or a valve. If it craps out I think it's because its a cheap china-pump. The worst thing is having a pump (motor) spin freely without restriction, then the motor will spin as fast as it can. If you put restriction then there's not much of a difference between halfway open and fully closed, to the motor. The motor encounter a restricted flow. If it's fully closed than it will spin at the speed it's able to, It will not try to spin faster or anything since it does only pull a given amount of amperes. Since it's magnetically driven the impeller will just "slip".

 

[watermelon83]

Please link to the "a lot of".


The motors are brushless. A valve on the output side of these pumps is the way to control flow rate. If your thing is overcomplicated bling, go for the pwm controller.

How is an 8 dollar digtal option overcomplicated bling? You have two options, depend on the pump to fail in specific areas (slipping, overtemp,etc.) or regulate the speed of the pump via pwm. An eight dollar controller is great protection for a twenty dollar pump. Not to mention (I can only imagine becuase I do not brew AG yet) there are probably instances in which a slow speed drain is better than full suction impeded by a bv.

 

[augiedoggy]

So do you run a battery to the controller, then the controller to the pump?

no I use a simple 12v powersupply.... you can buy a wallwort style like a phone charger for a few dollars of buy an acual 12v powersupply for inside the control panel to power all the pumps and a cooling fan for my ssr heatsinks...if I had bought the 24v pumps it would have made my built simplier since I use 24v actuated relays instead of contractors for my electric heat element power on top of my ssr's

 

[augiedoggy]

Please link to the "a lot of".


The motors are brushless. A valve on the output side of these pumps is the way to control flow rate. If your thing is overcomplicated bling, go for the pwm controller.

I understand your logic and I dont want to sit here and argue with you... you can certianly do whatever you want.
If you go and read throught the "other" huge 12v pump thread thats a like 100 pages long you will see a lot of complaints from people who seized them up these people were using ball valves to restrict the flow..someone in that thread chimed in that they had been using pwm speed controllers instead and this worked very well for them for a long time with no issues... as the thread goes on I could not find a single person who was using the pwm controllers that had a pump seize (obviously you could still do this by running them dry or without priming)

these pumps are a lot like aquarium pumps which I have been using for years. I have seen these magnets melt to the plastic housings and the bushings that hold the magnet shafts fail prematurely on them when they are being heavily restricted by cutting clogged instakes or filters making more resistance on the blades and magnet/shaft assy this way vs just using pwm which doesnt appear to cause any mechanical stress on them at all since its slowing the power and drive of the manget vs fighting it.
Wave makers also use a softstart feature which is similar to turning up the speed knob on the pwm because most of the pump wear is on a full off to on startup.

my pumps were $18 I dont think a $7 pwm speed controller is wastefule bling here it work and works well for me for a year now.... Especially when compared the oversized stainless pumps like chugger and march

 

[AnOldUR]