Recomendations on buying a first homebrew pump?

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Lebowski509

Lebowski509

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Hello all,

Just getting back to brewing after many years and trying to invest in improving my setup. Looking to get my first homebrew pump, primarily will use to whirlpool my wort which will be a new practice for me, but also looking at everything else I might be able to do with it. Are there any features to look for? Particular differences or are most pumps relatively similar? Thanks for any advice you can give me.
 
Another for the Blichmann Riptide here. Quiet, reliable, built in on/off switch, and most importantly VERY easy to disassemble and clean.
 
This timely for me as well, as I think mine may have bit the dust (still have to take a closer look to be sure). Cheers!
 
Is there a speed/flow control on homebrew pumps or is it just on/off switch ? Has anyone ever felt the need for a speed control ? I too am at the point of getting one. Very timely thread Lebowski
 
No speed controls that I am aware of .... just use a ball valve on the outlet side to control flow rate.

I find the MKII pumps are a great value, you can find them with the optional SS heads for ~$80 A bit lower flow / head then a Chugger or March but then I only do 5 gallon batches so the extra 30 seconds to transfer from one container to another is not a big deal for me.
 
I've had no complaints with my chugger pump. Stainless head, center inlet with a ball valve on the output for flow control. I don't know your setup, but pumps are useful for a lot more than just whirlpools. If you've got a multi-vessel step they can transfer strike/sparge water to your mash tun, fly sparge, recirculate mash. Turn your pump on in the last few minutes of the boil and leaving it running for whirlpool should sterilize the pump head and tubing so you can safely transfer your cooled wort to fermenter. It allows for a single level brewing setup and eliminates the need to ever lift heavy pots full of liquid ever again.
 
Senormac said:
Is there a speed/flow control on homebrew pumps or is it just on/off switch ? Has anyone ever felt the need for a speed control ? I too am at the point of getting one. Very timely thread Lebowski
Click to expand...

Most pumps don't have a switch or speed/flow control. Can easily wire up a light dimmer switch to control the speed/flow/on/off. Also, a valve is used out the output of the pump to control flow (never use a valve on the input of the pump flow).
 
cswant88 said:
...allows for a single level brewing setup and eliminates the need to ever lift heavy pots full of liquid ever again.
Click to expand...

That a pump will do, and in some rigs a pump is probably the best way to get there. However it's not the only way.

I don't use a wort pump. In my single vessel BIAB rig I fill the kettle with a hose. After the mash, gravity drains the grains while the bag is hanging over the kettle (lifted with a simple rope/pulley hoist that gives a 2X mechanical advantage). My burner is high enough to allow me to gravity drain the wort into a fermenter, which sits on a little cart that gets wheeled to the fermentation chamber. I have to lift the fermenter into the chamber, that's my one heavy lift. The chamber is high enough that the finished beer can be gravity drained into a keg (closed transfer into a fermentation gas purged keg).

I do use a $50 water transfer pump to recirculate water through my immersion chiller, but it doesn't have to be cleaned because it only moves water.

I define an "upgrade" as something that makes my rig simpler, easier, and requires less cleaning. Adding a wort pump would be going in the opposite direction for me.
 
I have a chugger pump and I used those cheap (I think polupropylene) solar pumps (which for the money are quite amzing for 5 gallon batches) that I don't even think about since I got my 10 gallon system with Blichman

Riptides. Don't get me wrong, the chugger was a solid pump and those solar panel pumps are a great bargain. But the riptide is a superior product. The built in flow control valve, reliability, and customer service of Blichman have me hooked as a customer. And because they sell their own products you can easily buy the correct replacement parts without issues.
 
Bought my first pump couple of months ago, just went ahead and bought a Riptide. Figured w/their robust customer support rep, if anything ever went wrong I'd be in good shape. Got broken in w/its first brew day this past weekend. Went really well, pretty quiet. Used to recirculate mash, whirlpool, transfer to fermenter and gave it some cleaning duty as well.
 
I personally like the March pumps. Why? They are reliable and parts are easy to find, inexpensively, from other sources. I have a Chugger SS center flow pump head and parts are, apparently, secret. I even emailed Chugger and received no reply. Try the same with March. Email March and will receive a reply. IMO, and this is only my opinion, go with March pumps.

No matter what pump is picked, pay attention to pump orientation. This is important.
 
Tobor_8thMan said:
I personally like the March pumps. Why? They are reliable and parts are easy to find, inexpensively, from other sources. I have a Chugger SS center flow pump head and parts are, apparently, secret. I even emailed Chugger and received no reply. Try the same with March. Email March and will receive a reply. IMO, and this is only my opinion, go with March pumps.

No matter what pump is picked, pay attention to pump orientation. This is important.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the rec..... could you elaborate on pay attention to orientation?..... do you just mean physically where the pump will sit in relation to kettles.. etc?
 
Not to continue pushing the Riptide but here is the manual discussing orientation and tips. These are "in general" tips. They also have a chart comparing the features of several pumps. I understand they are trying to highlight their pump, but it gives you a decent sense of the differences at a glance.
 
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+1 for Riptide pumps. Bought one about a year ago. 30+ brews, not one issue. Easy to use, easy to clean.
 
Lebowski509 said:
Thanks for the rec..... could you elaborate on pay attention to orientation?..... do you just mean physically where the pump will sit in relation to kettles.. etc?
Click to expand...

Here ya go...

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/a-short-pump-orientation-mounting-tutorial.306814/
Also, most pumps are not self priming. Most pumps will break if run dry. Put the pump lower than the liquid source and let gravity help prime the pump. Open values lowest to highest to prime the pump and push air out of the pump.
 
Lebowski509 said:
Hello all,

Just getting back to brewing after many years and trying to invest in improving my setup. Looking to get my first homebrew pump, primarily will use to whirlpool my wort which will be a new practice for me, but also looking at everything else I might be able to do with it. Are there any features to look for? Particular differences or are most pumps relatively similar? Thanks for any advice you can give me.
Click to expand...


Riptide. I use them in our brewpub. Great Pump. You'll pay for them though. Not cheap.
 
I have both Chugger and Blichmann Riptide pumps in my system. The Riptide is used with the boil kettle as it outperforms the Chugger for whirlpooling. The Riptide does not contain a teflon washer so it can be cleaned with PBW, Chugger's do contain teflon washers. The Riptide's output control and on/off switch are nice to have but not essential with my particular rig.
If I needed another pump it would be a Riptide. Undoing a tri-clamp for cleaning is also much simpler than removing 4-screws.
 

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fwiw, instead of that teflon thrust washer common to both March and Chugger mag pumps (and that will indeed get slowly eaten up if one recirculates hot PBW through their rig), Riptides use a stainless steel washer which will eventually disappear through use anyway...

Cheers!
 
After reading the last couple posts, I think the PBW thing may be what happened to me...gotta take it apart and investigate. Nice to have an idea of where to look for the problem, as I am not mechanically inclined.
 
Took mine apart. I actually have a march pump, not a chugger, so it doesn't have those teflon washers. It just had a small, flimsy o-ring that was fine. This is the first time I've taken it apart (been using for over 10 years), and it was clean as a whistle inside, so I guess I'm doing something right. Nothing obviously wrong, everything spins that's supposed to. There is a red gasket ring that is a touch loose when putting it all back together, but I highly doubt that's the culprit. Even watched a youtube troubleshooting video. I'll try one more time tomorrow before giving up.
 
Which model March pump do you have? Because the popular models (809 and 815) both use teflon thrust washers.
Just because you didn't find one doesn't mean it wasn't there :)

Cheers!
 
I went with a stainless steel-head Chugger pump to save some money, mainly because this was/is my first brew-pump, and didn't want to risk ruining a nice expensive one.

I've been very happy with it. It was a bit noisy at first, but that was due to one of the fan blades ever-so-slightly hitting the housing as it spun. I simply gave it a little bend in the right direction.

I will say that if/when the Chugger starts to break down, I'm going to invest in a Riptide. So if you've got the money and willing to jump right in, go for the Blichmann!

I'll also say... GET A FOOT SWITCH! So incredibly helpful, especially when brewing alone.
 
BrewMan13 said:
Took mine apart. I actually have a march pump, not a chugger, so it doesn't have those teflon washers. It just had a small, flimsy o-ring that was fine. This is the first time I've taken it apart (been using for over 10 years), and it was clean as a whistle inside, so I guess I'm doing something right. Nothing obviously wrong, everything spins that's supposed to. There is a red gasket ring that is a touch loose when putting it all back together, but I highly doubt that's the culprit. Even watched a youtube troubleshooting video. I'll try one more time tomorrow before giving up.
Click to expand...

Your pump may indeed have a washer that wore completely away from 10 years of use. Best to check the washer yearly or more depending on use. The washer is a small washer on the impeller shaft between the impeller & magnet assembly and pump housing. The small washer is called a "Thrust Washer".
 
day_trippr said:
Which model March pump do you have? Because the popular models (809 and 815) both use teflon thrust washers.
Just because you didn't find one doesn't mean it wasn't there :)

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Tobor_8thMan said:
Your pump may indeed have a washer that wore completely away from 10 years of use. Best to check the washer yearly or more depending on use. The washer is a small washer on the impeller shaft between the impeller & magnet assembly and pump housing. The small washer is called a "Thrust Washer".
Click to expand...

I have the 809.
And yup, that's where I found the flimsy white ring; guessing that was once the teflon thrust washer, lol. I'll look into replacing that before I give up.
Thanks for the pointers gents!
 
BrewMan13 said:
I have the 809.
And yup, that's where I found the flimsy white ring; guessing that was once the teflon thrust washer, lol. I'll look into replacing that before I give up.
Thanks for the pointers gents!
Click to expand...

Get a bag of 100 (inexpensive). I will find info and post later today (unless others beat me to it).
 
Blichmann Riptide for sure. I have 2 Chugger's that have been unused and dusty since buying the Riptides. The external power switch, Tri Clamp assembly for easy head cleaning, water resistant housing, built in flow control and air relief valve fixes all of my complaints with the Chuggers. Yeah they are expensive but totally worth it.
 
Here is the pump thrust washer
Pump Thrust Washer.jpg


Don't forget to oil the pump at least once a year. Only! 1 or 2 drops of oil. Also, only put the 1 or 2 drops of oil in the correct pump oil port.
Pump Oil.jpg


I've also replace the pump head machine screws (#8-32x1 inch) with the same, but hex head as the phillips or SAE head machine screws strip at the worst times. Regular machine screw on the left, hex head machine screw on the right.
Pump Head Machine Screw.jpg
 
As much as I love the Riptide’s over all performance and form factor, there is a huge safety red flag for me. The purge valve to prime the pump can’t be controlled and gets hot wort all over... it’s an accident waiting to happen.

move been surprised to see that the design iteration has stayed so long without some revision to make it safer.
 
[raises hand] Yo!

I've replaced the thrust washers in my two 815-PLs every 1-2 years since I bought them forever ago (2004 maybe?)
I recirculate ~150°F PBW solution through my 3v2p single tier rig for a good half hour at least and it definitely does thin down the thrust washers...

Cheers!
 
tracer bullet said:
Has anyone personally actually experienced teflon being broken down by PBW? Teflon is pretty bullet proof stuff. I find it hard to believe PBW touches it.
Click to expand...

The PBW grains cause the propeller to rub against the thrust washer thereby wearing the thrust washer.

Thrust washers are cheap. Replace them!
 
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