Pump mounting question.

[Kays]

Hi! Sorry in advance as this question probably has been answered multiple times but I did not find any accurate information

I have brewed multiple times with the pumps mounted just under the kettles on my current system.
But now I'm going to upgrade to a stainless steel single tier rig soon and just want to get everything right before I have it made.
I was wondering why pumps are mounted at the bottom of all rigs I've seen?
Having my pumps just under the kettles makes adjusting the ball valve on pump out easier without having to bend down and then look back up on how the flow is going.

 

[day_trippr]

On gas-powered single-tier rigs, for clearance for wind screens/to get them away from the burners...

Cheers!

 

[dmcman73]

The only reason why pumps are mounted below the kettles is because most of the pumps we use are not self priming and we need gravity to do its work to prime the pumps, placing them as low as possible is ideal but not required. With that said, you can place your pumps anywhere you want just as long as it's not at level with the kettles valve or above it.

 

[Kays]

Thanks for the answers! I have never had issues with priming my pumps yet, mounted about 4 inches under the kettle ball valves, so I am going keep it that way for the next rig as well, hopefully wont get any issues either!

 

[passedpawn]

I have never had issues with priming my pumps yet

Count yourself lucky then. They can be tricky that way. I have an electric system that sits flat on the ground and priming is always an issue (but I do have vays of making zem comply ).

 

[BeardedBrews]

One other thing to mention, since you're spending money on your brew stand, there is no reason the valve has to be directly attached to the pump. You can use plumbing to go from the pump up to a valve at the top of the kettle. Just keep in mind, if your pump is running and the valve is closed, then all that plumbing has pressure on it.

Standard silicone tubing is not rated for pressure. Use the braided reinforced stuff, or rigid pipe.

 

[Kays]

Count yourself lucky then. They can be tricky that way. I have an electric system that sits flat on the ground and priming is always an issue (but I do have vays of making zem comply ).

I lied I have had 2 times where I lost pressure (15 brews so far) and had to re-prime middle mashing. I thought it was caused by an air leak somewhere so I put some more teflon tape around the threads and tightened the hose clamps and havent had any issues after that.

One other thing to mention, since you're spending money on your brew stand, there is no reason the valve has to be directly attached to the pump. You can use plumbing to go from the pump up to a valve at the top of the kettle. Just keep in mind, if your pump is running and the valve is closed, then all that plumbing has pressure on it.

Standard silicone tubing is not rated for pressure. Use the braided reinforced stuff, or rigid pipe.

I am trying to avoid plumbing but I get the idea but on my system I have a valve on top of my kettle for recirculating but adjusting this without having a valve right after the pump causes the wort to get pressurized and shoot out on the other side whilst adjusting the one straight after the pump will do it much smoother as it has to travel trough the tubes before it exits into the kettle again. There might be workarounds that I havent thought of though? As for standard silicone tubing getting pressured I havent thought of that, I have two high quality tubes and some ebay ones that im not really sure what quality is but I havent had any issues/accidents with them yet thankfully

 

[BeardedBrews]

As for standard silicone tubing getting pressured I havent thought of that, I have two high quality tubes and some ebay ones that im not really sure what quality is but I havent had any issues/accidents with them yet thankfully

There is no perfect solution for every system. If your only valve for the pump-out side is on the kettle, then you can't disconnect the hose without turning the pump off at the switch.

If you use something like this: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23600 between the pump and the valve then you could do this general setup: