Questions about March Pumps answered by the Factory!

[WalterAtMarchPump]

We never had it as a standard option...but we have made some for special orders...but they are usually ordered by the distributors or by OEMS in batches of 100pcs+
They are sent out and TIG welded on.....we usually machine the heads a little differently for welding applications so the threading doesn't get put on...just a smooth taper outside to fit what ever fitting is being istalled. If you wanted to have a pair put on, i'd say get the fittings you want and send them over to me here along with your SS head...then i can get it either machined to fit your fittings or swap it out with another blank head machined to fit your fittings..then i would send it all back to you and you can go to a local welder to have them put on. For us to have it sent out to the welder, we usually add a 6 week lead time to the orders! Not that it usually takes that long but i'm sure you going local would be faster then us doing it for you.

 

[beardedirishman]

Yeah, i went through this with another member that was trying something like this....unfortunately our pumps don't really make big pressure. First pump i have that can actually make 40psi would be our 8 series....its a 3hp 3 phase unit and can flow 125 gallons per minute....so it would be a BIT overkill for this!! LOL What you would need is some sort of positive displacement pump to make those pressure levels. Like a gear drive or peristaltic or diaphragm.

The other member was going to make a carboy cleaner...or was it a keg cleaner....don't remember. But anyway he was going to try and use an AC-5C-MD and place the outlet of the pipe as close tot he bottom of the vessel as possible to help distribute the fluids all over the bottom of it. But again i don't think there was enough pressure for him so i don't know what ever happened to his idea.

I use the ac-5c-md with a spray ball on my 20 gallon fermenter and it cleans up well with enough force for me. I use a closed loop to recirculate on it while I'm getting things ready to brew. The ac-5c-md is also strong enough to forcefully whirlpool 20 gallons in my kettle.

 

[clearwaterbrewer]

I have a TE-5K-MD with a .2HP Baldor motor I got for $35 on eBay 6 years ago, it shoots water 12 ft into the air through a St. Pats keg cleaning sprayball.... I could use it for a 7bbl fermenter with that sprayball.
I also have what I think is the same pump head on one of the new AC-5 Beer Pump like the above poster has and it works just fine for cleaning sankey kegs with the same sprayball.. The pressure is not what cleans, it is the chemical, so if you can reach the entire vessel to wet it down, you will be fine... I would have no hesitation on using the AC-5 Beer Pump for up to a 2BBL BK or fermenter..

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

clearwaterbrewer, all the series 5 pumps are the same...you can swap them around from pump to pump....the only thing you cant really do is mix and match the pump housings if they are made from different materials....for instance you have the 5K (thats the Kynar plastic version) and you have the AC-5B beer pump(Made from Polysulfone)...they are both black in color but different plastics. They may fit if you lets say swapped the covers around...but the plastics have different shrink rates when molding.....so one or the other may be slightly bigger or smaller and you could potentially have sealing issues with the o-ring. You can swap impellers of any material into any of the pumps...just keep the housings matched.

 

[Irrenarzt]

Hi Walter,
Can you round me up some part numbers? I need to place an order with my local pump shop here soon.

I need an 815 larger impeller pump with a base and a 6 foot cord, inline 1/2 NPT head.

Do you guys have stainless heads preloaded with the 815 impeller in the 1/2 NPT inline configuration?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Irrenarzt]

Anybody home over there at March?

 

[emjay]

Walter, thinking of how you can restrict the outlet as much as you want, I had a thought...
Is there any issue with running these long term? Consider a house pumping water from a well... pump is running 24/7, but the flow itself is controlled by opening the outlets (faucets/taps). Could a (primed, of course) March pump be left continuously running for days without any major problems?

 

[orangehero]

Perhaps you can just add a short recirculation loop.

 

[mattd2]

Hi Walter, I am looking into a bit of automation including flowrate monitoring and would like to eventually have flow control. the 2 options I have prelimanary started looking at areeither a modulated actuated bal valve on the pump output or controlling the pump speed/power.
For the second option I was originally thinking somehow build a VFD but that would likely result in a square wave AC being feed to the pump, would this be an issue?
The othermehtod I have come accros is PWM the pump, is there any issues with doing this - any recommend frequency for the PWM?

 

[chessking]

Walter, thinking of how you can restrict the outlet as much as you want, I had a thought...
Is there any issue with running these long term? Consider a house pumping water from a well... pump is running 24/7, but the flow itself is controlled by opening the outlets (faucets/taps). Could a (primed, of course) March pump be left continuously running for days without any major problems?

I'm not speaking for Walter, but with my limited experience with well pumps, they pump up to a pressure, then shut off. When you open a valve the pressure drops, and the pump kicks back on.

This is of course irrelevant to your question of continuous running under restriction. Just saying....

 

[Irrenarzt]

Walter, please see my post number 458 and advise. I want to place an order with my local distributor soon.

 

[chumprock]

Hi Walter, I recently broke the outlet port on my 809, and while I see replacement heads sold online I'm curious if they come with an impeller shaft or if you need to use your existing one?

If it's an existing one, how would I go about removing it and installing on the new head?

 

[ekjohns]

Hi Walter, I recently broke the outlet port on my 809, and while I see replacement heads sold online I'm curious if they come with an impeller shaft or if you need to use your existing one?

If it's an existing one, how would I go about removing it and installing on the new head?

on mine (SS 3/4" center inlet) you just unscrew the 4 screws and the whole head comes off. Then on the back there is a SS plate with 4 more screws. Unscrew those and then the head impeller, shaft, and washer just pop out. The back plate has an o-ring. Make sure not to lose that. The heads come apart very easily.

Unless the assembly is around $100 then it is only the head. The impellers run $25 by themselves

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

Hi Walter,
Can you round me up some part numbers? I need to place an order with my local pump shop here soon.

I need an 815 larger impeller pump with a base and a 6 foot cord, inline 1/2 NPT head.

Do you guys have stainless heads preloaded with the 815 impeller in the 1/2 NPT inline configuration?

Thanks in advance.

Sorry for the late reply....for some reason i wasnt getting any emails notifying me of any new postings...
Anyway part number you are looking for is 0809-0196-0600
that would give you an 815-PL with base and 6' cord (inline version)
if you want the center inlet version then it would be 0809-0196-0800

We do have a stainless version but its the center inlet style...not the inline sorry

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

Walter, thinking of how you can restrict the outlet as much as you want, I had a thought...
Is there any issue with running these long term? Consider a house pumping water from a well... pump is running 24/7, but the flow itself is controlled by opening the outlets (faucets/taps). Could a (primed, of course) March pump be left continuously running for days without any major problems?

As long as there's liquid in the pump you can leave it running...its actually a very popular setup like what you want to do. Our motors are rated for continuous duty. And from what our motor mfg. tells us, if you were to just take it out of the box and run it without any maintenance like oiling it....then it should last 3-5 years running 24/7. We had an 809 pump here that ran 24/7 for 11 years before we took it offline to make rom for another test unit...so if you take care of them they will last

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

Hi Walter, I am looking into a bit of automation including flowrate monitoring and would like to eventually have flow control. the 2 options I have prelimanary started looking at areeither a modulated actuated bal valve on the pump output or controlling the pump speed/power.
For the second option I was originally thinking somehow build a VFD but that would likely result in a square wave AC being feed to the pump, would this be an issue?
The othermehtod I have come accros is PWM the pump, is there any issues with doing this - any recommend frequency for the PWM?

From what i know about VFD....it only works right on 3 phase motors
For these single phase units you would need some sort of PWM...but ive never really looked into it before. Some of our customer do get into things like this but you are talking about place thats have a big budget for playing around....like Honeywell, Culligan, and IBM

I would think having some sort of a ball valve with a stepper motor setup or the sorts would be easier to do and probably cheaper....but i dont know...

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

I'm not speaking for Walter, but with my limited experience with well pumps, they pump up to a pressure, then shut off. When you open a valve the pressure drops, and the pump kicks back on.

This is of course irrelevant to your question of continuous running under restriction. Just saying....

Those types of pumps are positive displacement units and have a pressure sensor built in to the unit to monitor for pressure loss...when it see a drop it kicks in to raise it back up. Not what ours do. What he was talking about, you can find the setup at you local home depot or Menards...you install the pump on the outlet side of your hot water tank and just turn it on and let it run....(some people like to put them on timers so they only work during the day when people are most likely to be in need of hot water)....then at each fixture you want hot water to be available at you install a mixing valve....when it cools off it opens and the pump will the cooled off hot water side back into the cold water side untill it feels the hot water and shuts itself off. So basicly you make a recirc loop into the cold side untill there is hot water again at the fixture..

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

Hi Walter, I recently broke the outlet port on my 809, and while I see replacement heads sold online I'm curious if they come with an impeller shaft or if you need to use your existing one?

If it's an existing one, how would I go about removing it and installing on the new head?

easiest way to get the shaft out is to force it by hand to one side and then wiggle it out...since the pump head is no good it doesnt matter if you make the hole the shaft is in any bigger. As far as getting it back in the new one....you should be able to start it into the "D" slot in the pump head by hand then flip it over...place the impeller shaft against the table or hard surface and press it the rest of the way in...

 

[Airplanedoc]

Walter

Will prolonged exposure to starsan hurt my pump? Im thinking about building a keg/carboy/bottle wash/rinse station and was thinking about using my pump to circulate the liquid.

Thank

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

Walter

Will prolonged exposure to starsan hurt my pump? Im thinking about building a keg/carboy/bottle wash/rinse station and was thinking about using my pump to circulate the liquid.

Thank

Depends on which pump you use for this....from what i have been told by others who have looked in to Starsan....it can lift Teflon....now that’s off of Teflon lined pans etc....so I’m not sure how it would affect the actual Teflon washer we use in the 809's....if you were using the 3B or the 5B then its not a problem as we use a ceramic washer in those units.

 

[Irrenarzt]

Sorry for the late reply....for some reason i wasnt getting any emails notifying me of any new postings...
Anyway part number you are looking for is 0809-0196-0600
that would give you an 815-PL with base and 6' cord (inline version)
if you want the center inlet version then it would be 0809-0196-0800

We do have a stainless version but its the center inlet style...not the inline sorry

Thanks Walter. Can you give me the part numbers for the SS heads with the center inlets? Thanks a bunch.

 

[mattd2]

From what i know about VFD....it only works right on 3 phase motors
For these single phase units you would need some sort of PWM...but ive never really looked into it before. Some of our customer do get into things like this but you are talking about place thats have a big budget for playing around....like Honeywell, Culligan, and IBM

I would think having some sort of a ball valve with a stepper motor setup or the sorts would be easier to do and probably cheaper....but i dont know...

Thanks Walter. Yeah most vfd are 3 phase but you can use the priciple for single phase (if I understand correctly. I will look at PWM as I think hat will give better and easier control.
Cheers!

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

Thanks Walter. Can you give me the part numbers for the SS heads with the center inlets? Thanks a bunch.

part# is 0809-0150-0000

 

[Irrenarzt]

These come with the impellers and everything or just heads? Can you get heads with 815 impellers pre-installed? Is the center inlet 1/2 or 3/4 NPT?

Sorry for all the questions but I'd like to get my ducks all in a row before ordering. Thanks for your help.

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

That part number was for the pump head alone....no parts inside just bare.
We don't carry a complete assembly as these are not ones to go bad....unfortunately you would need to buy the parts individually. The nice part is if you have an existing 809, you can reuse the rear cover and shaft and all you would need is the o-ring (0809-0165-1000) and the impeller (0809--0107-0200)

 

[nickdahl]

Hello Everybody,

Just joined this site, and love the great information, but I do have a question.

I bought a 3 BBL brewery from a warehouse sale: the pump included was a March BC-4K-MD. I have never seen this system operate, so I'm wondering what they were using this pump for, as it is rated for 200*F they may not have pumped boiling wort through it.

Is there a way to upgrade this pump to handle boiling wort temperatures?

Thanks,

Nick

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

Is there a way to upgrade this pump to handle boiling wort temperatures?

Thanks,

Nick

Yes and no......the series 4 pumps are the exact same pump as the series 5 physicly...the difference is inside with the impeller. You could buy the 5B pump head and it will bolt right up...but if you try and pump with it it would probably overload the motor and woudl overheat. If you wanted to make it work then you would need to take the 5B impeller and have the blade height milled down to match that of the series 4 pump and you would be in business.

 

[nickdahl]

Yes and no......the series 4 pumps are the exact same pump as the series 5 physicly...the difference is inside with the impeller. You could buy the 5B pump head and it will bolt right up...but if you try and pump with it it would probably overload the motor and woudl overheat. If you wanted to make it work then you would need to take the 5B impeller and have the blade height milled down to match that of the series 4 pump and you would be in business.

Thanks, Walter. Milling a 5B impeller sounds expensive and laborious.

With that understanding, would my pump work for recirculating 170*F wort and pumping it to the boil kettle, since its rating goes up to 200*F?

I presumed getting a second pump but I was thinking about an 815 for the home-brew RIMS system I'm building first. Are there any drawbacks to "overkill" when it comes to pumping? That is, would I have problems using a Series 5 pump on a keggle-based brewing system?

Thanks again,

Nick

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

if you have a local machine shop all they would need to do it chuck it up on a lathe and mill the blades down to 1/4" tall as the 5b impeller blades are 3/8" tall...shouldnt cost much at all...would take them less then 2 min to do it all.

But if you are only working with 170* liquids, then the standard pump will be just fine. The Kynar plastic we use on these pumps is FDA approved for potable water use.

Overkill with our pumps is usually easier to deal with then not having enough. When you have too big a pump with a mag-drive centrifical, you can choke the outlet to balance the system out, or we can trim the impeller to cut the flow rates and the pump can be made to run in a happy state. The right pump is usually determined by your setup and what you want to get out of it in the end. If you feel the 815 wont be enough then check out the AC-3B pump...its the next step up from the 815 and gives a little more output.

If you have any more questions or want to talk, just give me a call at work

 

[nickdahl]

if you have a local machine shop all they would need to do it chuck it up on a lathe and mill the blades down to 1/4" tall as the 5b impeller blades are 3/8" tall...shouldnt cost much at all...would take them less then 2 min to do it all.

But if you are only working with 170* liquids, then the standard pump will be just fine. The Kynar plastic we use on these pumps is FDA approved for potable water use.

Overkill with our pumps is usually easier to deal with then not having enough. When you have too big a pump with a mag-drive centrifical, you can choke the outlet to balance the system out, or we can trim the impeller to cut the flow rates and the pump can be made to run in a happy state. The right pump is usually determined by your setup and what you want to get out of it in the end. If you feel the 815 wont be enough then check out the AC-3B pump...its the next step up from the 815 and gives a little more output.

If you have any more questions or want to talk, just give me a call at work

Thanks! I could buy a 5b impeller blade, have it milled to 1/4" tall, then replace the original blade with the 5b impeller blade? Then my pump would handle boiling wort? That sounds like a good option!

Nick