Weezy
Well-Known Member
I'm knee deep in the process of building a single tier, countertop, small batch Brutus 2.0 rig. An important part of the rig are two pumps, necessary for cross recirculation between the MT and HLT. So I built this pump box using a 6"x6" conduit box, and two ebay 12V solar style pumps. Each pump is run by 12V PWM controller, intended for LEDs but works just fine on these pumps.
I wanted something compact, to not take up much space, and my experience with the 12V pumps has been good so far.
The pumps are mounted by sandwiching the inlet across the back side of the box, between a 1/2" PEX-to-1/2" NPT compression fitting and a 1/2" electrical conduit nut (these cheap things are like $0.84 for a 4 pack and function good as a lock nut for this application). The holes are 7/8".
The outlet side of the pumps come out through the top (lid) of the box, and are also connected by the 1/2" PEX fittings. They are not sandwiched to the lid though. No need.
The 1/2" PEX connects perfectly to 3/8" silicone tubing, which is more than enough for these pumps and small batch brewing.
The PWMs mount through the front of the box. The stem of the potentiometer isn't long enough to directly mount in the typical through-hole-mount fashion with the small nut on stem. So I simply put 4 dabs of silicone on the face of the PWM and stuck them to the inside of the box.
The backside view shows the inlets on the back with 90 degree fittings and the outlets at the top with straight fittings.
The aluminum plate is merely hiding my screw up. I drilled one of the top holes in the wrong position....oops. A free piece of aluminum laying around is cheaper than a new project box.
Parts list:
1. Pumps are 12V, 1A, 600L/h, high temp, ebay specials, drop shipped from China for $17/ea
2. PWM controllers $3.25/ea
3. Home Despot Electrical 6"x6" conduit box $12
4. Home Despot Electrical 1/2" conduit nuts $1
5. Home Despot 1/2"PEX-to-1/2"NPT fittings $2.50/ea for straight and $3.50/ea for 90 degree
6. The fancy knobs and aluminum I had laying around
7. The power supply is a 12V 2A supply I had laying around as well.
I wanted something compact, to not take up much space, and my experience with the 12V pumps has been good so far.
The pumps are mounted by sandwiching the inlet across the back side of the box, between a 1/2" PEX-to-1/2" NPT compression fitting and a 1/2" electrical conduit nut (these cheap things are like $0.84 for a 4 pack and function good as a lock nut for this application). The holes are 7/8".
The outlet side of the pumps come out through the top (lid) of the box, and are also connected by the 1/2" PEX fittings. They are not sandwiched to the lid though. No need.
The 1/2" PEX connects perfectly to 3/8" silicone tubing, which is more than enough for these pumps and small batch brewing.
The PWMs mount through the front of the box. The stem of the potentiometer isn't long enough to directly mount in the typical through-hole-mount fashion with the small nut on stem. So I simply put 4 dabs of silicone on the face of the PWM and stuck them to the inside of the box.
The backside view shows the inlets on the back with 90 degree fittings and the outlets at the top with straight fittings.
The aluminum plate is merely hiding my screw up. I drilled one of the top holes in the wrong position....oops. A free piece of aluminum laying around is cheaper than a new project box.
Parts list:
1. Pumps are 12V, 1A, 600L/h, high temp, ebay specials, drop shipped from China for $17/ea
2. PWM controllers $3.25/ea
3. Home Despot Electrical 6"x6" conduit box $12
4. Home Despot Electrical 1/2" conduit nuts $1
5. Home Despot 1/2"PEX-to-1/2"NPT fittings $2.50/ea for straight and $3.50/ea for 90 degree
6. The fancy knobs and aluminum I had laying around
7. The power supply is a 12V 2A supply I had laying around as well.
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