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Stevorino

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1. Are the March Pumps on Morebeer.com and Northernbrewer.com the same? Morebeer claims they had their's custom-built.

2. How do you restrict the flow -- do I have to buy some kind of valve? Suggestion on sizes/Adapters?

3. What kind/size tubing do I need? How do you all suggest connecting the tubing to the ball valves on my Keggles?
 
1. Yes, I believe they are all the same model which is 809HS. It wouldn't help to call and make sure though.

2. I have a 1/2" SS ball valve on the OUTPUT (very important) of the pump. It's a magnetic drive pump, and you should leave the intake wide open and restrict only the outflow.

3. I prefer to use 1/2" silicone tubing for all connections. It's a bit pricey at $2.10/ft. but it is certified food grade and heat tolerant up to 400F. You can use SS hose clamps and 1/2" barbs to attach everything, but I prefer quick disconnects. They are more expensive, but totally worth it IMHO. You can find them at McMaster Carr.

90 Degree Female QD: http://www.mcmaster.com/nav/enter.asp?partnum=6739K68
Male QD: http://www.mcmaster.com/nav/enter.asp?partnum=6739K59

You can see the different connections in the picture below. The pump outflow is on the left, intake is on the right. The intake side requires a full 1/2" coupler in order to take the male QD. Most homebrew shops online keep those in stock for 3-4 bucks.
DSCF0011.JPG
 
I have spigots on my keggles currently -- is there a way to run my tubing from those with quick disconnects?
 
Sometimes when they say it was special built they have a cord added to the pump,or possibly a bracket.
 
i couldn't find the above linked quick disconnects in SS -- is that an option? Worth the cash difference? Why 90 degrees?
 
steverino,

I bought mine recently from MoreBeer and it is excellent. To answer your question - it is the same pump - the differences you see listed are for a plug or not and a bracket or not. Get the bracket one and depends on your wiring situation on the other. I use a Bradford ball valve on the out port to control flow. The pump comes with a male thread end - just match up what connects you want and go.
 
i couldn't find the above linked quick disconnects in SS -- is that an option? Worth the cash difference? Why 90 degrees?

I found SS QD's, but man are they expensive...I think they were about $30 per set, as opposed to $10 for the brass. For me, I have no qualms about brass and I haven't been able to taste any difference in my beers. I like the 90 degree female QD's because it helps prevent the hose from kinks. Not so necessary on the pump, but really does help on the kettle connections.
 
I found SS QD's, but man are they expensive...I think they were about $30 per set, as opposed to $10 for the brass. For me, I have no qualms about brass and I haven't been able to taste any difference in my beers. I like the 90 degree female QD's because it helps prevent the hose from kinks. Not so necessary on the pump, but really does help on the kettle connections.

Austin had those pumps on sale not too long ago, they're more or less the same as others have posted. I went for brass ball valves and QDs from McMaster-Carr, female part # is 6739K64 and male is 6739K64 and they work fine. I put males on fixed parts and females on the hosts, which I think most have done. Works great for me, stainless is better but I didn't want to spend that much for what I think is marginally better stuff.
 
If it's near heat, brass is fine. Otherwise I like the polysulfone (CPC) QD's. With all my brass fittings I pickled them prior to usage just to be safe (there MIGHT be trace amounts of lead in the alloy). Soak the brass pieces in a solution of two parts white vinegar and one part common household hydrogen peroxide, for about 5 minutes. This should remove any surface lead/tarnish.
 
since we have a thread regarding questions about pumps, i'll ask one here rather than starting a new topic.

is there any considerable wort loss in tubing? i know that march pumps should never run dry. is there a way to get the last bit of wort out after nothing else is being fed into the pump?
 
since we have a thread regarding questions about pumps, i'll ask one here rather than starting a new topic.

is there any considerable wort loss in tubing? i know that march pumps should never run dry. is there a way to get the last bit of wort out after nothing else is being fed into the pump?

I suppose you could drain them into a sterilized container. You do lose a bit otherwise, but depending on the length and inside diameter of your tubing it isn't worth it for me at 20 gallon batch sizes. For a 5g batch it might be worth it.
 
Yeah, I didn't drain out my tubing and I'm sure I lost some, but the trick is to just account for that in your water calcs beforehand. Brew on your system a few times and take diligent notes, especially when it comes to volumes. You'll be able to back-calculate from that data how much water you'll need. Losing a little bit of wort isn't a big deal, especially when you're brewing AG and it's cheap, as long as you account for it ahead of time.
 
I suppose you could drain them into a sterilized container. You do lose a bit otherwise, but depending on the length and inside diameter of your tubing it isn't worth it for me at 20 gallon batch sizes. For a 5g batch it might be worth it.

I have a plastic tub that I fill with StarSan solution, and that is where I sanitize my airlocks, stoppers, etc. After the boil kettle has been drained completely, I pump StarSan through my CFC until the wort starts to change color. This ensures that I'm getting every last bit of wort in the carboy. It may only be a pint or less, but the side benefit of doing this is that your CFC is sitting with sanitizer in it until next brew day.
 
I have a plastic tub that I fill with StarSan solution, and that is where I sanitize my airlocks, stoppers, etc. After the boil kettle has been drained completely, I pump StarSan through my CFC until the wort starts to change color. This ensures that I'm getting every last bit of wort in the carboy. It may only be a pint or less, but the side benefit of doing this is that your CFC is sitting with sanitizer in it until next brew day.

I do that as well, but have started wondering what effect it is having inside the system. Being an acidic sanitizer, and the fact that my tubing and CFC is copper, is it gradually eroding the inner surfaces?
 
since we have a thread regarding questions about pumps, i'll ask one here rather than starting a new topic.

is there any considerable wort loss in tubing? i know that march pumps should never run dry. is there a way to get the last bit of wort out after nothing else is being fed into the pump?

I had the exact same Q. Not having used a March pump, does the impeller hold back liquid while the pump is off? I was hoping I could disconnect the line from the kettle and simply allow gravity to drain the remaining wort back out of the CFC, through the pump and into the fermenter.

Doing 3 gallon batches, even the 1/4 gal tied up in a 20' CFC is rather significant, IMO.
 
I had the exact same Q. Not having used a March pump, does the impeller hold back liquid while the pump is off? I was hoping I could disconnect the line from the kettle and simply allow gravity to drain the remaining wort back out of the CFC, through the pump and into the fermenter.

Doing 3 gallon batches, even the 1/4 gal tied up in a 20' CFC is rather significant, IMO.

The liquid will all drain from the pump. If you have ever disassembled an aquarium pump, then you have basically seen the insides of a March pump.

So it sounds like Brass is the way to go -- everything 1/2 inch?

Brass and 1/2" all the way around is the way to go. I am very happy with the performance of my system in that configuration.
 
i guess that's a benefit of not mounting the pump to the sculpture. i imagine you can just pick it up and let the remaining liquid flow out into the kettle or fermenter.
 
The way that I get the last of the wort out of my lines, pump, and LARGE plate chiller is to have a gallon of clean water handy and when my pickup tube is about to suck air, I dump the water in. I'll count to 5 and shut the pump off. It certainly helps with brewhouse efficiency not leaving 2 quarts of wort in the system. In the grand scheme though, we're only talking about wasting a pound of malt in the loss.
 
A note about the two versions of the NorthernBrewer.com March pumps: They have one with a 6' power cord and plug and another for about $20 cheaper with only a 3' cord (no plug).

I wanted to get the 3' version and add my own 7-8 foot cable and plug so I emailed them if there are terminals or any way to get into the pump to remove the 3' cable and attach another 'correctly'. The answer is NO. There are no screw terminals or any way to get into it. If you want to extend the 3' cord you'll have to put a plug on it or connect it to a junction box or whatever.

Kal
 
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