Pump for HLT

[Jtk78]

I have built a HLT out of a Home Depot water cooler and a mash tun out of a rectangular cooler. I heat my water in my boil kettle (with valve) drain it to my HLT and set up the mash. I then heat my batch sparge water during the mash, drain to HLT freeing up the kettle for first runnings. I have a shelf system that gets my required 3 tier perfectly and I don't have to move them. Only pain in the backside is lifting the HLT up to the highest shelf when it's full of water. I do 10 gallon batches sometimes, so I'll have 9 gallons in there lifting to about head level and I'm fairly tall.

I've searched a bit for pumps, but wondering if there are any economical pumps I could use to get the hot water up to the HLT? Since I won't be putting sweet wort through it, should I be looking outside homebrew pumps for one half the price?

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

I'm sorry. I've been brewing for 10 years... That being said, and pardon my ignorance...
What does HLT stand for?
I kept reading this post over and over but I didn't understand what it was talking about without this tiny bit of info.
Thanks

 

[Jtk78]

Hot liquor tank, essentially a hot water holder. I need to get it higher than my mash tun, which is already higher than my boil kettle. So I'm lifting 9 gallons of water to about 5 and a half feet up.

 

[ericbw]

I have thought about the same question. I'm thinking about setting up a single tier with a pump. They all seem pretty expensive for what they do.

 

[Jtk78]

I have thought about the same question. I'm thinking about setting up a single tier with a pump. They all seem pretty expensive for what they do.

I know. I've seen a few pumps that i think would handle the task in the $50-70 range. I'm good with a two tier setup if you will, HLT and mash tun could be on the same level and gravity out of the mash tun.

 

[d3track]

If it's JUST hot liquor that you don't need a real strong force behind (whirlpool) you can search for the tan solar pumps. Usually well under $30

 

[doug293cz]

Williams Brewing offers a 120V pump for significantly less than the typical cost of a Chugger or March pump. Might be worth considering if you want something a little more than one of the Solar pumps.

Brew on

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Hot liquor tank, essentially a hot water holder.

[emoji28][emoji28][emoji28] Duh! That is so obvious. I can't believe I didn't figure that out. [emoji23]

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I went through this same thought process. I ultimately decided I wanted a pump that would provide a solid whirlpool and pump to my fermenter. The reason I wanted to pump to the fermenter is that I use a siphon aerator that really needs a solid flow. It aerates like a champ.

I bit the bullet and bought a chugger, ss whirlpool arm and a ball valve. $175 total well spent. I whirlpool effectively, pump to my HLT, and pump/aerate effectively.

 

[ericbw]

Williams Brewing offers a 120V pump for significantly less than the typical cost of a Chugger or March pump. Might be worth considering if you want something a little more than one of the Solar pumps.



Brew on

That's like half the price! Does anyone have experience with them?

 

[MoonBrewer]

I have been using one of these "solar hot water circulation pumps" for a couple of brews and have been please with the results. 2 gpm for $25 is hard to beat, but it will take you a few minutes to lift all of your hot liquor to HLT.

bayite BYT-7A015 DC 12V Solar Hot Water Circulation Pump with DC Power Supply Adapter Low Noise 3M Head 8LPM 2.1GPM

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G305PK0

 

[Jtk78]

Williams Brewing offers a 120V pump for significantly less than the typical cost of a Chugger or March pump. Might be worth considering if you want something a little more than one of the Solar pumps.

Brew on

Thanks you. So this lands squarely in the middle of the suggestions I've seenever in this thread. This is certainly one my short list.

I went through this same thought process. I ultimately decided I wanted a pump that would provide a solid whirlpool and pump to my fermenter. The reason I wanted to pump to the fermenter is that I use a siphon aerator that really needs a solid flow. It aerates like a champ.

I bit the bullet and bought a chugger, ss whirlpool arm and a ball valve. $175 total well spent. I whirlpool effectively, pump to my HLT, and pump/aerate effectively.

I can have a "buy once, cry once" type of mentality sometimes, but I would need some justification for it. I've built a pre-chiller and immersion chiller, I get down to the 60Fs in about 20 minutes. Would this get setup get me there 10? Perhaps. Would I spend an extra 15 dismantling the whirlpool arm, valve and pump to clean? I dont know, but if so, net loss = 5 mins and ~$100- $150. I'm not poo-pooing the idea, just un-educated in how the equipment could improve my brew day.

I have valves and quick disconnects on my kettles. Draining into the kettle isn't a problem. I also have the $4 tube aerator piece that works well with opening the valve. In addition, I have an oxygen setup and hit each batch with a 60 blast of O2.

How else do you use the setup to make the process better?

I have been using one of these "solar hot water circulation pumps" for a couple of brews and have been please with the results. 2 gpm for $25 is hard to beat, but it will take you a few minutes to lift all of your hot liquor to HLT.

bayite BYT-7A015 DC 12V Solar Hot Water Circulation Pump with DC Power Supply Adapter Low Noise 3M Head 8LPM 2.1GPM

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G305PK0

Thank you for that link. I will give this a series consideration if I go the "cheap" route. It takes a while to gravity feed, and muscle that beast up 6' off the floor too.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

Thanks you. So this lands squarely in the middle of the suggestions I've seenever in this thread. This is certainly one my short list.



I can have a "buy once, cry once" type of mentality sometimes, but I would need some justification for it. I've built a pre-chiller and immersion chiller, I get down to the 60Fs in about 20 minutes. Would this get setup get me there 10? Perhaps. Would I spend an extra 15 dismantling the whirlpool arm, valve and pump to clean? I dont know, but if so, net loss = 5 mins and ~$100- $150. I'm not poo-pooing the idea, just un-educated in how the equipment could improve my brew day.

I have valves and quick disconnects on my kettles. Draining into the kettle isn't a problem. I also have the $4 tube aerator piece that works well with opening the valve. In addition, I have an oxygen setup and hit each batch with a 60 blast of O2.

How else do you use the setup to make the process better?



Thank you for that link. I will give this a series consideration if I go the "cheap" route. It takes a while to gravity feed, and muscle that beast up 6' off the floor too.

I don't run the whirlpool specifically to speed up the day, I do it because it helps with reducing trub in the fermenter, which increases brewhouse efficiency. My kettle draws from the edge, so I can pretty much empty the kettle other than the pile of trub in the middle. It does speed up chilling, which is another benefit.

That being said, I'm a big fan of people choosing the option that meets their needs and budget. I was just offering up another option along with why it might be a viable one. If not, cheers, drink a home brew and I hope you end up with something that works for you.

 

[Jtk78]

I don't run the whirlpool specifically to speed up the day, I do it because it helps with reducing trub in the fermenter, which increases brewhouse efficiency. My kettle draws from the edge, so I can pretty much empty the kettle other than the pile of trub in the middle. It does speed up chilling, which is another benefit.

That being said, I'm a big fan of people choosing the option that meets their needs and budget. I was just offering up another option along with why it might be a viable one. If not, cheers, drink a home brew and I hope you end up with something that works for you.

Thanks for the reply Hawk. I hop in a spider, so I'm not too worried about getting a little trub in the fermenter. I think I'm gonna skip this option for now, & hope I'm not kicking myself down the line. I will have a home brew later today though.

 

[ericbw]

I don't really understand how whirlpool arms, etc. work. I'm mostly interested in pumping hot water from a kettle to an HLT and then to a mash tun (cooler), and then to the kettle and eventually to the fermenter.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I don't really understand how whirlpool arms, etc. work. I'm mostly interested in pumping hot water from a kettle to an HLT and then to a mash tun (cooler), and then to the kettle and eventually to the fermenter.

In general, there are two types of whirlpool arms. The most common goes through a port in the side of the kettle and makes a bend to the side. The second, which is what I use, goes over the top of the kettle, down along the side, out outputs the stream along the edge of the kettle.

They both accomplish the same thing:
Draw from the drain output of the kettle, to a pump, back to the whirlpool arm. This generates a circular whirlpool in the wort which does two things. First, keeping the wort in motion while chilling with an immersion chiller makes the chiller much more effective. Second, the whirlpool action causes all the particulate matter (proteins, hops, etc.) to form in a cone in the middle of the kettle after the whirlpool is allowed to subside.

If you draw from the edge of the kettle, you get very little to no trub in your fermenter. I'm not sure the trub in the fermenter is a big deal, but it can't hurt.