Stupid question for Pump noob

[Unicorn_Platypus]

Hey guys,

I've been brewing for many years but have no experience with pumps.

The main thing I'll be using it for transferring from hot liquor to mash tun & mash tun to kettle without gravity.

The pump I'll be purchasing is the Blichmann riptide.

Here's my stupid question :

When I'm tranfering the liquid from one vessel to the other, will the pump be able to transfer all the liquid? Or do I have to cut the transfer before the lines run dry?

 

[Spartan1979]

You have to have liquid in the pump or it will cavitate. So you will lose whatever liquid is in the lines past the pump. And probably some in the line before the pump since you don't want to have it run dry.

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

You have to have liquid in the pump or it will cavitate. So you will lose whatever liquid is in the lines past the pump. And probably some in the line before the pump since you don't want to have it run dry.

Thanks, that makes sense!

 

[Deadalus]

From your mash tun to the BK the loss isn't a big deal if you are fly sparging. The wort will be as thin as it is going to be at the point you hit your preboil volume. Not sure about batch sparging.

You can get everything out of the hose by disconnecting at the MT valve and the BK valve, put the BK end in a pitcher on the groubd, lift the MT hose up and let gravity drain the hose through the pump. I pump from the BK to a fermenter and gravity drains the hose usually so I get as much out of the BK as the pickup tube can grab.