RV pump for brew rig?

[Jeepsn beer]

hello brewing brothers, I have a question about whether or not it would be ok to use an RV type water pump for a brewing rig. They are used to pump potable hot water in an RV and are pretty economical to purchase. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[whodwho]

The heat rating would be the limiting factor for what part of the brewing process you could use it for.

 

[dcbrewmeister]

It's not just a temp thing, it's the acidity of the wort. Since there are probably as many different pumps as there are campers, you would need to check to see what the impelers (if any) are made of. Also make sure the pump is not cooled by the liquid it is pumping, great way to contaminate wort. The pump should be a sealed unit, the motor should be separate.

 

[brewman !]

I used this pump.
http://www2.northerntool.com/product/16818_16818.htm

It says 160F max, but you can get a high temp kit for it. Even without the kit I have never had a problem. It has a rubber impeller and a SS and brass pumping cavity. NO PLASTIC !

This pump is variable speed on a dimmer switch and its totally self priming.

Its a great pump for the job.

 

[Jeepsn beer]

thanks, a 115v pump would definately be more convenient.

 

[david_42]

RV water pumps are cheap pieces of junk. I've replaced enough of them.

 

[67coupe390]

I used this pump.
http://www2.northerntool.com/product/16818_16818.htm

It says 160F max, but you can get a high temp kit for it. Even without the kit I have never had a problem. It has a rubber impeller and a SS and brass pumping cavity. NO PLASTIC !

This pump is variable speed on a dimmer switch and its totally self priming.

Its a great pump for the job.

That is a sweet price on the pump. I was looking at getting a pump from williams brewing and they go for $130.00. You get a magnetic coupler and the a higher temp rating. This one has a temp rating of 165F and is shaft drive. So give it some thought.

 

[dcbrewmeister]

I used this pump.
http://www2.northerntool.com/product/16818_16818.htm

It says 160F max, but you can get a high temp kit for it. Even without the kit I have never had a problem. It has a rubber impeller and a SS and brass pumping cavity. NO PLASTIC !

This pump is variable speed on a dimmer switch and its totally self priming.

Its a great pump for the job.

Sweet. That pump is even cheaper (price) than an RV pump is.

 

[brewman !]

RV pumps are built to do 40 PSI. The pony pump won't do 40 PSI. But I don't need it to either. It works really well for brewing, or it has for me anyway. I love having it on a dimmer switch. You can slow it down and it will pump real slow. Only thing is, if it needs to prime itself you have to run it fast to get the prime going and then turn it down to actually pump slowly. That is probably true for most pumps.

I wouldn't want a pump that you couldn't slow down. The flow can be throttled in the line, yes, but the impeller is still churning the wort like crazy. Maybe the magnetic drive pumps are different.

 

[67coupe390]

That is a sweet price on the pump. I was looking at getting a pump from williams brewing and they go for $130.00. You get a magnetic coupler and the a higher temp rating. This one has a temp rating of 165F and is shaft drive. So give it some thought.

This pump you can slow flow down by throttling the discharge (outlet) side with a ball valve and the magnet will slip and not burn up the motor. But the other pump is proven and is a great value so you can't beat that!!

 

[runhard]

I've been listening to this gentleman in Australia, Graham Sanders. His podcast are quite entertaining and he has some different takes on DIY. His pump while not a high temp pump has worked he says for 10 years with ne'er a problem. I saw a pump like this on sale at Harbor Freight for 29.00. That's cheap.
http://oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Gear/GSanders/CheapPump.shtml
Just another way of attacking the same problem.