Which pump for a small 1/2" NPT CIP Spray Ball ?

[brewman !]

I have a small slotted 1/2 NPT CIP Spray ball like this one.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-Female...476163?hash=item1ca3294903:g:Ru4AAOSw2fRan50q
I think I got it from Brewer's Hardware.

How much flow and pressure do these balls need to do a good job ?

Would a 1/4 HP submersible pump work ?

They all have the same pressure rating, 25 feet max head (~10.8 PSI)

1/2 HP: https://www.ecofloproducts.com/uplo...ubmersible_utility_pumps/sup80_spec_sheet.pdf
1/3 HP: https://www.ecofloproducts.com/uplo...ubmersible_utility_pumps/sup56_spec_sheet.pdf
1/4HP: https://www.ecofloproducts.com/uplo...ubmersible_utility_pumps/sup55_spec_sheet.pdf

Most sump pump keg washers use a plastic pipe with holes drilled in it. Would that work better with a sump pump than a spray ball ?

Brulosophy used a 1/6th HP pump, but they didn't use a spray ball.

Edit: I found a 1/3 HP pump with a max head of 33.5 feet (14.5 PSI)
2160 GHP @ 5' head. Would that work ?

Edit2: just went through this old thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/brewhemoth-conical-clean-in-place-cip-systems.299346/page-4
Most people are using sump pumps rated for 25 feet of head.

I'll test the pump above and report back with how it works.

 

[brewman !]

The specs on my pump are:
USG/Hr @ Head
2160 @ 5 feet
1950 @ 10 feet
1700 @ 15 feet
1450 @ 20 feet
1100 @ 25 feet

Max head is 33.5 feet, which is 14.5 PSI.

The thing that is significant about these specs is lots of submersible pumps have max head at 25 feet. This pump is still moving 1100 GPM at 25 feet/ 10.84 PSI.

I'm guessing that it will operate at about 12 PSI, which isn't much. But it is better than 6 PSI another pump might have achieved. I'm guessing that ideally the spray ball should be fed with 30-50 PSI.

The higher the pressure the better the cleaning action.

 

[brewman !]

It works fantastically.

I had a bunch of really grungy kegs and it cleans them spotless.

 

[brewman !]

FWIW, this pump is a bit too big. It pumps water in faster than it can empty out of a Better Bottle carboy. Works great with kegs and Big Mouth fermentors though.

I have to stop the pump every 5 minutes with a BB and let it empty out. It doesn't clean the shoulders of a carboy very well because there is usually a couple inches of water shielding them from the spray.

I might throttle the pump a bit or test it with a speed control.