Pump I found on Craigslist. Is it safe?

[Kmcogar]

What I mean is it safe to use? The guy says he has them for homebrewing. He says he never used it though, it is just a back up incase his other one fails.

It's this model here.

http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=141224521481

I found a website for the company but I don't see anything saying it's food grade. Anyone ever use something like this?

http://www.iwakiamerica.com/products/wmd.htm



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[two_hearted]

It doesn't mention anything about boiling temps, I would assume its not food grade. For $125 you could buy yourself a brand new chugger pump and know that you have something built for brewing.

 

[Schumed]

The price isn't worth the risk

The cheaper chugger is $99

 

[beernbourbon]

Well, if by "food grade" you mean seafood, I think you're good.
I've not used one, been looking for a pump myself.... but everything I'm reading seems to indicate they are made the same as the March or others. Magnetic drive, sealed, etc. Only concern I would have is the grade of that plastic they are using.

from their FAQ: What are the materials in contact with the fluid?
For the MD/WMD series the liquid end is glass filled polypropylene including an encapsulated inner
magnet. The spindle is alumina ceramic and the bearings are Rulon (a fluoroplastic/ carbon mix).

Not one to know what that is, but info for you anyway

 

[Kmcogar]

Well, if by "food grade" you mean seafood, I think you're good.

I've not used one, been looking for a pump myself.... but everything I'm reading seems to indicate they are made the same as the March or others. Magnetic drive, sealed, etc. Only concern I would have is the grade of that plastic they are using.



from their FAQ: What are the materials in contact with the fluid?

For the MD/WMD series the liquid end is glass filled polypropylene including an encapsulated inner

magnet. The spindle is alumina ceramic and the bearings are Rulon (a fluoroplastic/ carbon mix).



Not one to know what that is, but info for you anyway

Yeah, I was reading that info and it looks foreign to me. Lol.

I might just wait to save up for a chugger pump. Where can I find the one for $99?


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[two_hearted]

http://brewhardware.com/pumps/133-chuggerpump

Bobby has 3 different ones from $100 - $146

 

[Sideways]

It is food safe and will withstand boiling temps. I have three iwakis and they are great. They are much quieter than the other pumps mentioned above. They are made from polypropylene.

 

[iaefebs]

From what I see the inlet outlet are 5/8" what size are your output fittings? If less than 5/8" then you would have to throttle the flow on the output side or you'll starve the pump.

 

[Kmcogar]

Decisions decisions



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[LandoLincoln]

Personally, I'd rather buy a new chugger pump specifically designed for brewing use over a used not-sure-if-food-safe pump. Brewhardware.com has inline polysufone head chugger pumps for $100.

I purchased a March inline poly head pump for my rig, since it was the cheapest I could find at the time. Now that plastic head is sitting in my spare parts bin collecting dust and a stainless steel center inlet head has taken its place. If I could do it over again, I should have saved up for the center-inlet stainless steel head. Center inlet pump headss are optimal if your pump is going to be close to the ground. Inline heads are optimal if your pump is going to be placed higher up. Yes, inline heads can be used close to the ground, but it's not the optimal setup. Stainless steel is nice over the plastic heads because you can really screw down the fittings good on the stainless steel heads without worrying about cracking the fittings or threads. On the plastic head I was always worried about cracking something, so I never did really tighten it too much and as a result some of the fittings did leak a bit and moved around on me during brew days.

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

Those Iwaki's are our direct competition....they make theirs from glass reinforced polypro plastic....just like ours. I cant say if their plastic is safe for potable water use though...if you look at the spec sheet on their website for the MD series pumps they rate them only to 175*F. Will it take more?....probably. Can it handle boiling temps?....for short bursts i'm sure it will. How long will it last?...cant say as every application is different.
That pump has a max flow of 3.96gpm and max head of 21'

 

[Kmcogar]

Well the guy says he has 2 pumps. This one for $30

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/171279312770?lpid=82

And this one for $70

http://m.ebay.com/itm?itemId=141224521481

I was thinking of getting the smaller one. It's only $30. Not much of a loss but I am cheap and would still hate for it to only be good up to 175. I would only be using it to recirculate my mash and cool my wort through my plate chiller. So I think it wouldn't be taking boiling temps for too long. It may work


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[WalterAtMarchPump]

If you consider ANY used pump....just verify what was pumped through it if possible....if not then i would replace the pump head just to be on the safe side.....i have had a number of people through out the years call me with part numbers for our pumps that turned out to be special assemblies for Kodak photo processors.... and they pump some nasty stuff!

 

[Kmcogar]

If you consider ANY used pump....just verify what was pumped through it if possible....if not then i would replace the pump head just to be on the safe side.....i have had a number of people through out the years call me with part numbers for our pumps that turned out to be special assemblies for Kodak photo processors.... and they pump some nasty stuff!

I appreciate the help. He "said" he hasn't used them. They were back ups to his main pump. I would def buy a march pump if I wasn't so cheap and always looking for deals


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[WalterAtMarchPump]

Well "HE" may have not used them but where did he get them from? That first one for $30 sure looks to be used from the dark staining on the inlet and outlet

 

[Kmcogar]

Well "HE" may have not used them but where did he get them from? That first one for $30 sure looks to be used from the dark staining on the inlet and outlet

Those aren't the actual pumps he posted in Craigslist . Just examples of what he has for sale



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[WalterAtMarchPump]

ah!

 

[iaefebs]

ah!

LOL... you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. The seller clearly lists on his other pumps that they were used for photo chemical processing.
A quote from some of his other listings.

Pulled from a working system. Was used with liquids in a photo printing system. Fluid Chamber shows no sign of "Stained" from liquids.

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

um...yeah! I would most definitely change the pump heads then if you buy one!