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Questions about March Pumps answered by the Factory!

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Personally, I can live with that small of a gap.

Me too! That seems like it would allow less playing around with the pump and would allow be to slide the pump further inside the box so there is less sticking out (overall smaller footprint)
 
Walter, I need to get a new connecting bracket. Can I order one directly from March? I found a few stores online that sell them but they are asking more in shipping than the cost of the bracket!
 
Walter, I need to get a new connecting bracket. Can I order one directly from March? I found a few stores online that sell them but they are asking more in shipping than the cost of the bracket!

We dont sell direct...what happened to yours? Email me direct:
wwojcik@ marchpump.com
 
Walter, could this be done with the AC-5B-MD? I like the new mounting plates I've seen that go between the drive magnet and the motor on some 809's out there. With the AC5B the mount on the motor is a little flimsy, and I'm always worried that something's going to break on it.

If you take the time, you can do it with just about any pump out there...what do you mean the mount is flimsy? the mounting base is metal just loke the 809 bases....are you talking about the motor bracket?? that is made from a polypro plastic. Its alot stronger then you think. That bracket will usually bend before breaking....and its more forgiving as far as alignment goes. You just need to set the depth of the magnet and you dont need any jigs to center it up.
 
Hey Walter - I've got a quick question. I'd like to convert my 809-HS from side to center input. Do I need anything but the housing (0809-0179-0100)?

Cheers!

As long as you stay with the same material then all you need is the housing....if you currently have a plastic pump head and want to convert to stainless or brass then you would also need the o-ring as they are different on the metal pumps.
 
I have been using the 315HF from Morebeer with a plate chiller for 2 batches so far. The system leaves behind ~1/2 gallon of wort in the lines after the dip tube siphon has broken in the brew kettle.

Is there a good way to clear these lines and not leave so much wort behind?
 
I have been using the 315HF from Morebeer with a plate chiller for 2 batches so far. The system leaves behind ~1/2 gallon of wort in the lines after the dip tube siphon has broken in the brew kettle.

Is there a good way to clear these lines and not leave so much wort behind?

you can:
1 - throttle back the outlet with a valve to reduce the sucking of air via the tendency to whirlpool near the suction at the end of pumping
2 - use shorter line
3 - use smaller line (especially on the outlet of the pump) to get higher flow rate and overcome air bubbles.
4 - manually drain (design you system to allow you to either remove and lift the suction line and pump several feet above the receiving container, or allow you to lower the output line into a container.

-mike
 
clearwaterbrewer prety much summed it up i think...only thing i can think of would be to disconnect the line from the kettle and lift the line up and then the pump and continue on till you get all the liquid out of it all....if the pump is mounted on the stand then you can install a "T" fitting at teh lowest point and have a valve there you can open and drain and remaing liquid into a bucket or glass etc..
 
If you take the time, you can do it with just about any pump out there...what do you mean the mount is flimsy? the mounting base is metal just loke the 809 bases....are you talking about the motor bracket?? that is made from a polypro plastic. Its alot stronger then you think. That bracket will usually bend before breaking....and its more forgiving as far as alignment goes. You just need to set the depth of the magnet and you dont need any jigs to center it up.

I was talking about a mount like this one from tesco pumps:

http://www.tescopumps.com/servlet/the-489/MAR-*MOTOR-MOUNTING-BRACKET/Detail

Is such a thing made for the AC series pumps? Yes, the mounting base certainly looks strong, but where it attaches to the pump doesn't provide much support to the pump head. I have some tri-clamp adapters and fittings on the end of my pump head and I measure a full 12 inches from the motor mount screws to the center of my triclamp fitting. It just puts a lot of force on the place where the motor attaches to the base and I would just prefer a stronger mounting method.
 
I was talking about a mount like this one from tesco pumps:

http://www.tescopumps.com/servlet/the-489/MAR-*MOTOR-MOUNTING-BRACKET/Detail

Is such a thing made for the AC series pumps? Yes, the mounting base certainly looks strong, but where it attaches to the pump doesn't provide much support to the pump head. I have some tri-clamp adapters and fittings on the end of my pump head and I measure a full 12 inches from the motor mount screws to the center of my triclamp fitting. It just puts a lot of force on the place where the motor attaches to the base and I would just prefer a stronger mounting method.

Ah! that link from Tesco shows the mounting bracket we use for the 809 DC versions. You can use it for the AC versions that dont come with mounting bases but its rare. The motor bracket and that mounting base you liked to are both made from the same Polysulfil plastic as the pump head. And that is some strong stuff. If you break the base or the bracket i'd be more worried about busting the pump head unless you have a metal version.
 
Walter, I started a new thread asking the below. I didn't realize that you had this thread going. Anyway, here goes!

Just integrated a brand new march pump into my brewery and it seems to squeal every once in a while, but mainly when pumping hot liquids. Cold seems ok and I haven't heard it yet.
I'm not, and haven't run it dry, where I'd expect it to squeal. Also, I'm only restricting the output side. No restrictions on the input.

I've read to try some keg lube on the impeller, but part of me wonders if I should, or if I should just exchange it for another since it shouldn't be doing this when it's a brand new pump.

By the way, I was testing this with the pump about 4ft below the HLT that I was pumping from, so plenty of headspace and no noticeable cavitation from what I could tell.


Ideas?


Also, what is the normal operating temp of the 809-HS that I have? I built it into a toolbox, but would like to keep an eye on it's temps in order to decided whether I should add a cooling fan in there as well.

Thanks!
 
Walter, I started a new thread asking the below. I didn't realize that you had this thread going. Anyway, here goes!

Just integrated a brand new march pump into my brewery and it seems to squeal every once in a while, but mainly when pumping hot liquids. Cold seems ok and I haven't heard it yet.
I'm not, and haven't run it dry, where I'd expect it to squeal. Also, I'm only restricting the output side. No restrictions on the input.

I've read to try some keg lube on the impeller, but part of me wonders if I should, or if I should just exchange it for another since it shouldn't be doing this when it's a brand new pump.

By the way, I was testing this with the pump about 4ft below the HLT that I was pumping from, so plenty of headspace and no noticeable cavitation from what I could tell.


Ideas?


Also, what is the normal operating temp of the 809-HS that I have? I built it into a toolbox, but would like to keep an eye on it's temps in order to decided whether I should add a cooling fan in there as well.

Thanks!

krazydave, usually when the pumps make that noise, its from the impeller bouncing/vibrating on the shaft due to lack of lubrication. When brewers run them at boiling temps it could be sucking air into the system and then cavitating. Either way one thing you can try is drilling out the opening of the impeller with a 17/64" drill bit to open the clearence between the shaft and the impeller. If you dont want to mess with it or dont have confidence in drilling it out, you can send it to me and I will do it for you no problem.
As for normal operating temps....that has been an on going debate with us and the motor mfg....we state that for continuous duty there ambient temps for the motor should be limited to about 104*F (the motor will see surface temps in the 150*F range)
The motor itself has a thermal overload built in that will shut the motor off if it reaches about 210*F internally.....the motor mfg has told us that the motors are ok to run anywhere in that range up to shutoff as long as they are not constantly hitting that thermal overload switch...each time it hits the thermal overload it weakens it....so if its triggered enough times it may fail all together and not give power tot he motor.
For most people that have these mounted in a tool box, i dont think it will run long enough to heat up and trigger the thermal on it....so you should be ok....if you are concerned about them temps....drill some holes on the lid of the box opposite the motor side and the hot air will ris out of the box...
 
Walter,

To follow up on the previous question, my pump does not squeal but has a bit of a rattle that I only hear every now and then. I have not opened it up to look at the o-ring condition but it has only been used for about 30 min total. Is the slight rattle here and there normal?
 
Eh...depends. They CAN have a slight rattle to them depending on the conditions. If you have a valve on the discharge side and close it off and the rattle goes away then you just balanced out the pump and you will probably never hear the rattle again......most times when they make noise its due to the teflon thrust washer getting worn away....or the shaft coming loose and allowing the impeller to rub against its housing. Open it up and check out the insides. The o-rings dont go bad unless they get ripped or pinched and you will see it leaking at that point..
 
Hey Walter. I just started having a problem tonight with my 809HS. I was doing a water boil in a kettle with a bottom drain. I upgraded the impeller to the 815. I've since made a batch a brew without problems. Tonight, with the water boil, at 205 degrees I heard the impeller seize. I quickly turned it off, mostly thinking it was dry pumping. As soon as I turned it off I heard the impeller loosen up and start spinning again while to motor was winding down. I turned the it on again and it seized again when it got to full speed and turned while winding down.

I was boiling 10 gallons of water, bottom drain fed to the input port of the pump which is facing down. I recirc during boil to keep water flowing around my electric element. I did not see the appearance of air in the silicone hoses so I don't think it's an air pocket, but I could be wrong. I have never heard the impeller seize up like that in the last year. This is a new pump, about 2 months old.

Help me Obe Wan!

Is something wrong with my pump?
20120417_171837.jpg
 
Here's a quick video showing the problem happening today. I took apart the head and looked for anything that might cause this.

Click on video to play.
 
Was the pump still turning after that click? It almost sounded like the thermal shut off...
Read up a few posts to Walter's response to my question about operating temps.

Possibility?
 
Is the shaft tight in the pump head when you took it apart? And does the impeller spin freely on the shaft? How's the teflon thrust washer looking? Should be either black or white and sit on the shaft between the impeller and the front housing.

From the vid it sounds like the impeller is too loose inside the pump head for some reason. but hard to say without having it in front of me to see first hand.

obi-wan-kenobi.jpg
 
Well Obi-Walt I am gonna post some pictures to make you feel like you are here looking at it.
Here's everything disassembled, I do not see a thrust washer, unless I'm just overlooking it.
20120418_090301.jpg

20120418_090310.jpg

20120418_090326.jpg

20120418_090337.jpg

20120418_090348.jpg


Here's a video of me spinning the impeller by hand on the shaft, click on picture below to play video:


Here are some pictures of me re-assembling the head:
20120418_090613.jpg

20120418_090637.jpg

20120418_090705.jpg

The shaft fits tight in the keyhole, but it did notice when I tried to push it in after I took it apart it did push in an additional 1mm or so. However, I had already pushed it in in my last troubleshooting attempt, so unfortunately that wasn't a quick fix.
 
Hi Walter,

My nanobrewery pump is still going strong after running it over a year at the pub. Thank you again for taking care of me with that stainless impeller housing.

I have a new question, are any of your pumps suited to doing a closed carbonation recirculation? I would like to be able to pump out of and back into a sankey keg, through a carbonation stone to achieve a much quicker force carbonation.
Is this possible? I'm thinking it would not have to self prime if I just flip the keg upside down. The pump and lines would be under 15 psi or so.

Thanks in advance
 
if you can get it primed up, then yes it can run in a closed system. The metal pumps can withstand 150psi of internal pressure. Once you get it hooked up, and easy way of priming would be to get two valves on the discharge side of the pump. One valve would be to keep the pressure of the keg return side from getting out....the other valve would be as a bleeder. the pressure inside the keg would force the liquid into the pump and prime it and you should be good to go
 
Walter,
Can you mount a March 809 pump on its side?? I would like to attach it to the side of my brew stand. Is this possible? Thanks
 
Depends on what you mean by "On its side"
If you are just turning it 90* from the way it sits on the table, then sure! When you get it mounted take the 4 Phillps screws out and re-orrient the pump head so the outlet is back to its orriginal position....or better yet position it so its on top pointing to the ceiling.
If you mean on its side so the whole unit is vertical...then the best way is with the pump head on top with motor below it.
Either way just make sure its below the liquid level for priming and it will work. :)
 
Depends on what you mean by "On its side"
If you are just turning it 90* from the way it sits on the table, then sure! When you get it mounted take the 4 Phillps screws out and re-orrient the pump head so the outlet is back to its orriginal position....or better yet position it so its on top pointing to the ceiling.
If you mean on its side so the whole unit is vertical...then the best way is with the pump head on top with motor below it.
Either way just make sure its below the liquid level for priming and it will work. :)

By the way, I got some thrust washers, and they seem to have helped, but I also reduced flow when approaching boiling temps to help with cavitation.

On another note, placing the pump motor below the pump head, in a vertical configuration, seems like a really bad idea to me. Unless you protected the motor, every drop falling from the head would be getting dangerously close to dripping inside the motor itself.

Unlikely anyone would want to mount the pump vertically though.
 
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