Cheap Pump Options

[user 384]

I'm trying to convince a mate not to build a 3 tier brewery with the HLT above head height for safety reason. Therefore he needs a cheap pump to transfer strike water from the HLT to the Mash Tun. He's not interested in a March pump as money is an issue.

Therefore what is the best alterantive. I know in the past Jayse has used a drill powered pump and I have seen in the UK some drill driven pumps dirt cheap, some even come with garden hose QD's like this one.

Any help appreciated, don't want my mate standing under 20-30 litres of scalding hot water.


Cheers
MAH

 

[Wortgames]

I think any pump that is 'high temperature food grade' is going to be expensive - that's essentially what a March pump is. Anything less will be a compromise that you may not want to put all your brewing water through.

Gravity is good, there's nothing wrong with an elevated HLT as long as it is physically sound. Things don't suddenly leap into the air for no reason!

 

[crozdog]

MAH,

i have heard of people using washing machine pumps. The are about $60 new & should handle the heat of the mash water. Someone here (jase perhaps?) has used em in the past; i remember reading a post once before deciding to get a March

FWIW, my brewery/shed is a 3 tier setup without the stand. The HLT (an old laundry copper) sits on the highest workbench; the mash tun sits on a lower bench & the kettle sits on the burner on the floor. I use plastic garden type quick disconnects on a 1.5m length of 12mm food grade hose to connect it all as required

 

[Blackfish]

I think the best safety feature of a tiered setup is a hose fitting in the lid of your HLT. Never mind hot water up high, getting it there while balancing on a ladder/milkcrate with 9L or even 20L buckets is more dodgy IMHO, esp if you have power leads running around the place.

invoice for 2c sent

FHG

 

[Tony M]

I'm sure Ausdb won't mind me posting a picture of his washing machine pump. I've seen it in action and it is very efficient.
I picked up a couple in the last verge pickup, both with integrated motors so some time over winter I shall get all of my system down to waist level.

 

[tangent]

i just bit the bullet and bought a March.
not hooked up yet, but after balancing a jerry full of 80C first runnings on my shoulder as the tap got soft and popped off... let's just say I'm looking forward to using the pump.

 

[therook]

I'm sure Ausdb won't mind me posting a picture of his washing machine pump. I've seen it in action and it is very efficient.
I picked up a couple in the last verge pickup, both with integrated motors so some time over winter I shall get all of my system down to waist level.

I have 2 old washing machines at home waiting to be chuck out...hhhmmmmm

Rook

 

[razz]

I can vouch for the washing machine pumps, I used one for a couple of years before I bought a March pump. I even used to run 95 degree water through it to clean my cfc.

 

[therook]

razz,

why did you change to a march pump ?????????

rook

 

[razz]

The washing machine pump stopped working and I'm no electrician !

 

[delboy]

well necessity is the mother of all invention ?

washing wachine pumps well there you go just rang the applience group .
to ask them about temp ratings and build materials on these and de pending on which one you need they all seem to be very high quality
australian saftey standards :

s/s shaft , heat proof ,non toxic ,non rusting body they seem to be a nylon compound but then again they look like the same material as the march pumps. but the colour is different ?

delboy

 

[warrenlw63]

I'm trying to convince a mate not to build a 3 tier brewery with the HLT above head height for safety reason. Therefore he needs a cheap pump to transfer strike water from the HLT to the Mash Tun. He's not interested in a March pump as money is an issue.

Therefore what is the best alterantive. I know in the past Jayse has used a drill powered pump and I have seen in the UK some drill driven pumps dirt cheap, some even come with garden hose QD's like this one.

Any help appreciated, don't want my mate standing under 20-30 litres of scalding hot water.
Cheers
MAH

MAH

Some HB and Winemaking stores sell $70 brass drill pumps. Quite solidly built, easy to pull apart too. Would also be self-priming I'd assume.

Warren -

 

[therook]

MAH

Some HB and Winemaking stores sell $70 brass drill pumps. Quite solidly built, easy to pull apart too. Would also be self-priming I'd assume.

Warren -

i wonder if you could put a pully on it?

 

[Doogiechap]

I went through the process of buying a $60 Sicce Idra Pump as endorsed by Graham Saunders here
I blew it up before I got to use it when I leak tested my pluming setup and accidently applied mains water pressure to it :angry: .
Half a tube of food grade silastic later I got it back on the road and did about 4 AG brews with it but found it hard to prime and just not suitable to interface with the brewery as it's so flimsy. I now have a March pump and the sicce will look after recirculating tank water in the future for chilling....
The washing machine pump option is a good possibility but I would have a spare pump on standby in case it burns out during a brew. Also be very careful about how exposed you are to the power as the terminals are often pretty exposed.
Cheers
Doug

 

[kabooby]

I spoke to my local appliance repairer and he said you can get new magnetic pumps that are suitable for washing mashines for $65. He said these would be suitable to pump 40 litres to a height of about 1m. Not sure if they will pump boiling water but I only want to use mine to pump from the HLT to the tun and from the tun to the kettle, so temps will be a max of about 75 deg. These are also fully sealed so would be safer in case of spillage.

He also has second hand jobbies that are not sealed for $20

Could be an option

 

[Kai]

He could dig a hole?

 

[ausdb]

I spoke to my local appliance repairer and he said you can get new magnetic pumps that are suitable for washing mashines for $65. He said these would be suitable to pump 40 litres to a height of about 1m. Not sure if they will pump boiling water but I only want to use mine to pump from the HLT to the tun and from the tun to the kettle, so temps will be a max of about 75 deg. These are also fully sealed so would be safer in case of spillage.

He also has second hand jobbies that are not sealed for $20

Could be an option

The magnetic coupled pump is what I have an and what TonyM refers to as an "april pump" (better than March). It has been used successfully to transfer boiling wort from kettle to chiller and fermenters as well as from a lauter grant to the kettle. At the brewday I did the pump ran for probably an hour with mash temps passing through it and then probably another half an hour with boiling or near boiling wort running through with no ill effect. Search for my name and whole bag brewday and you will see photos of it in action as well as a gallery post somewhere.

One thing to watch out for is that there is a dead space in the pump body where the magnet sits on the shaft. I suspect I have picked up an infection a few brews after that brewday as the last weizen I brewed tasted nasty and I disassembled the pump further than normal to find it did not smell very nice! I am buying another new one this week as at $60 new I would rather that than chance the old one. The dead space problem could also be of my own making as there is a small drain port into the chamber but how I had the pump mounted did not have this at the bottom to allow free drainage. I will try and post a few pics in this thread over the next few days

Cheers ausdb

PS TonyM I think a brew day is in order when you christen the new pumps!!!!!

 

[poppa joe]

I think ..JAYSE..used a GRUNDFOS pump....Initially.
I have 2 of them...I asked about this many moons ago..they are for transferring hot water
Brass with nylon? impellor I got mine for $5.00 each at G/Sale..
Still waiting to use them somwhere..?Put "grundfos pump" in search..may give some info..
PJ

 

[kabooby]

Hey Ausdb,

I checked out those photos and the pump must be OK to survive that amount of work in a day.

Looks like everyone had fun.

Might have to get the ball rolling on something similar with the M.A.L.E members. :beer:

 

[Gulf Brewery]

MAH

Try Creative Pumps on Marion Rd. They have a lot of floject pumps and they are cheaper than the March pumps. Tell them the specs you want and they will do the rest.

Cheers
Pedro

Just had a look at some of the prices on the website and they were scary - a call would sort that out though