Chugger pump issues.

[seamad]

Hey Guys and Gals,
If you have not been keeping up with this thread I have had issues with a Chugger pump that I purchased from the US prior to Chugger Australia existing. I had contacted the guys about the issue and I was getting no where with them. So I posted up here about the problems that I was having. Thanks to macca05's advice I contacted Andrew from chugger.com.au


Andrew went out of his way even though he did not have to. He contact the suppliers in the US and kept me informed through out the process. A couple of weeks ago I got an email from the guys in the US asking to confirm my postal address as they were sending out a replacement pump and it arrived today.

Anyone that is looking at getting a Chugger the issue of them overheating has been fixed and they are a awesome pump for the price. Andrew is really dedicated to his business and the Chugger brand. I cannot thank him enough.

Thanks Andrew!

Exactly the same situation here. Mine arrived today and were tested in the states before leaving. Can't speak highly enough of Andrew.
cheers
sean

 

[Muzduk]

Big thumbs up to Andrew. Only ran mine a couple of times but it had the problems mentioned earlier.. It was however out of warranty and Andrew was not obligated to fix/replace it but that is what he did(replaced the motor) with me only footing the freight. It is no coincidence that Fullpint is kicking goals among the homebrew fraternity

 

[seamad]

Well I've held off posting about my chuggers until the situation fully evolved.
Brief history... Purchased 2 inline chuggers direct from chugger in the USA before there was an Aussie distributor. As I was building my system it was a while before I used them properly and they both overheated. After not getting anywhere directly from Chigger USA Andrew stepped in from Aussie chugger ( even though he didn't have to ) and put me into contact with someone at chugger and 2 new pumps were sent from the US. I had been told there were to be tested before sending.In the meantime some home reno's meant I lost my brewing area and I just went back to BIAB. Recently got the 3V going again and 1 new pump lasted 10 minutes and the second one 40 minutes . Was mightily pissed off. Sent heaps of emails to Chugger US including previous contact to no replies. Found through some research the boss at chugger and sent him an email outlining my displeasure. Didn't get a response from him but the following day got an email from my previous contact who said they would replace the pumps. Took several more emails but after a month they eventually sent 2 new pumps ( centre inlets but I've got 4 inline heads now anyway.)
Anyway, back to back double batches today and no stopping, so it looks like after 6 pumps I got 2 good ones, won't get too cocky yet until they've done a few more brews.
Anyone wanting to buy a chugger just get one from an Aussie distributor, just in case...

 

[Yob]

Well said.

Glad you held them to the sword and finally got what you paid for.

Wherever possible I try to source all my brew equipment locally so any issues found can be dealt with promptly.

Spare heads you say? I could be interested in a spare inline mate

 

[seamad]

Well...
Brew day yesterday, 13 minutes into 15 minute mashout and the effin thing stopped. It was 30C yesterday but the brewrig is undercover and there was a bit of breeze. Plugged the air compressor in and got the air gun onto it to get it going again. Decided to batch sparge instead of fly sparging as normal, but it ran for the 15 minutes or so I recirculated the sparge. Only a single brew yesterday so it ran for about 80 minutes before dying. I'm thinking of getting a bathroom exhaust fan and running that to try and cool the pump down, do you think that will help ?

 

[Spiesy]

Well...
Brew day yesterday, 13 minutes into 15 minute mashout and the effin thing stopped. It was 30C yesterday but the brewrig is undercover and there was a bit of breeze. Plugged the air compressor in and got the air gun onto it to get it going again. Decided to batch sparge instead of fly sparging as normal, but it ran for the 15 minutes or so I recirculated the sparge. Only a single brew yesterday so it ran for about 80 minutes before dying. I'm thinking of getting a bathroom exhaust fan and running that to try and cool the pump down, do you think that will help ?

Sorry to hear about your brew day misadventure.

If you purchased locally, please get in touch.

 

[Spiesy]

Whoops... Just read the posts above.

 

[brewtrekker]

Might As well add me to the list of people with Chugger 230v pump issues! I like a few others here just assembled my 3v Herms with parts I was acquiring all last year. So I have two Chugger 230v pumps one local and one off Amazon and they both Cut out after over 30 min or so. Any new help out there as I noticed Chugger.com.au no longer works? Full Pint I have been buying heaps from them ever since they opened their doors, hint, Hint !

 

[rehabs_for_quitters]

Are the newer pumps giving any issues or is it just the older batches, I am just weighing up whether to go March or Chugger for a new 3v I am getting ready to build and don't want any pump issues

 

[Spiesy]

Might As well add me to the list of people with Chugger 230v pump issues! I like a few others here just assembled my 3v Herms with parts I was acquiring all last year. So I have two Chugger 230v pumps one local and one off Amazon and they both Cut out after over 30 min or so. Any new help out there as I noticed Chugger.com.au no longer works? Full Pint I have been buying heaps from them ever since they opened their doors, hint, Hint !

Hi mate. Sorry to hear you are having problems. Sounds like you may have bought old stock - when and from whom did you buy? Chugger.com.au hasn't been around for over a year, btw. It was absorbed by Full Pint.

As the Australian reps for Chugger we would advise you to contact your retailer. If that was Chugger.com.au, for your local purchase, please get in touch with us.

 

[Yob]

Are the newer pumps giving any issues or is it just the older batches, I am just weighing up whether to go March or Chugger for a new 3v I am getting ready to build and don't want any pump issues

I've got the chugger stainless inline head on a March pump and couldn't be happier with its performance if that helps.

That said, I've not heard so many issues with the newer model chugger pumps, when you're dropping that sort of coin on a pump, you need reliability.

 

[hockadays]

Hi Speisy,
Did these pumps ever get Australian electrical compliance? I asked the previous retailer yet he never answered.
Cheers

 

[Spiesy]

Are the newer pumps giving any issues or is it just the older batches, I am just weighing up whether to go March or Chugger for a new 3v I am getting ready to build and don't want any pump issues

It was the first ever shipment into Australia that suffered some issues with 230v. There have been a number of shipments since, and we're happy to report there has been no issues.

 

[Spiesy]

Hi Speisy,
Did these pumps ever get Australian electrical compliance? I asked the previous retailer yet he never answered.
Cheers

Hi mate. As with many electrical items in the homebrew industry, we simply haven't had the money to get local compliance testing done (our market is so small that it's hard to justify and absorb the expense).
So the pumps are sold without an Australian plug on the end, a little bit of wiring (we would recommend a licensed electrician) and it's good to go. To answer your question, no, they do not have with electrical compliance for Australia.

 

[seamad]

It was the first ever shipment into Australia that suffered some issues with 230v. There have been a number of shipments since, and we're happy to report there has been no issues.

Sorry to disagree with you, but that's not completely true. Although not purchased from you I've had 3 sets, and had problems with every pump bar 1.
Dates on my pumps:
30/12/12. Purchased these direct from Chugger as no distibutor yet in Australia, both overheated.
30/7/13. Sent 2 new pumps from Chugger only after help from Andrew ( FP I believe). Were apparently tested before dispatch, one lasted 5-10 minutes before overheating.
30/3/14. Seemed promising, but one pump starting cutting out after a couple of brews after running for 45-60 minutes. Was cooling it down with compressed air and the nozzle must have touched something, and bang, no more pump.
The one remaining pump does seem to be working, but still runs much hotter than my old March pump. I now batch sparge as fly sparging is too difficult with pumps stopping.

And yes Yob, the heads are good aren't they..
For those wishing to buy one make sure you purchase in Australia.

 

[Spiesy]

Sorry to disagree with you, but that's not completely true. Although not purchased from you I've had 3 sets, and had problems with every pump bar 1.
Dates on my pumps:
30/12/12. Purchased these direct from Chugger as no distibutor yet in Australia, both overheated.
30/7/13. Sent 2 new pumps from Chugger only after help from Andrew ( FP I believe). Were apparently tested before dispatch, one lasted 5-10 minutes before overheating.
30/3/14. Seemed promising, but one pump starting cutting out after a couple of brews after running for 45-60 minutes. Was cooling it down with compressed air and the nozzle must have touched something, and bang, no more pump.
The one remaining pump does seem to be working, but still runs much hotter than my old March pump. I now batch sparge as fly sparging is too difficult with pumps stopping.

And yes Yob, the heads are good aren't they..
For those wishing to buy one make sure you purchase in Australia.

Well, that's not exactly disagreeing with me. We have not had issues with the pumps since taking them on. Your last pump you received was over a year ago - through Chugger Australia, there have been two shipments since.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Sorry to disagree with you, but that's not completely true. Although not purchased from you I've had 3 sets, and had problems with every pump bar 1.
Dates on my pumps:
30/12/12. Purchased these direct from Chugger as no distibutor yet in Australia, both overheated.
30/7/13. Sent 2 new pumps from Chugger only after help from Andrew ( FP I believe). Were apparently tested before dispatch, one lasted 5-10 minutes before overheating.
30/3/14. Seemed promising, but one pump starting cutting out after a couple of brews after running for 45-60 minutes. Was cooling it down with compressed air and the nozzle must have touched something, and bang, no more pump.
The one remaining pump does seem to be working, but still runs much hotter than my old March pump. I now batch sparge as fly sparging is too difficult with pumps stopping.

And yes Yob, the heads are good aren't they..
For those wishing to buy one make sure you purchase in Australia.

What sort of line diameters and lengths are you pumping through? What is the height differential between suction and outlet? Given your experience I would be looking at the process side of things as much as the equipment as potentially you could be pushing the pump outside of its capabilities?

Apologies if you've addressed all of this I just couldn't gather you had from your posts. Just trying to think how you could have such a bad run with a pump (regardless of brand, make etc). Furthermore have you tried any other brand pumps in the identical scenario?

 

[seamad]

DJ, I don't think there is a problem with setup. I run 1/2 inch heavy duty silicone hose with snaplocks. The male fittings on the pumps were special ones made for chuggers, with full 1/2 inch bore. Pumps sit 400mm under brew stand with the inlet lower than the outlet. Pump head to HLT inlet is 500mm, and on the MT the RIMS tube is on the stand, MT inlet about 450mm above that, so about 850mm head. I restrict flow with a ball valve on the MT return. Most tubing @ 600mm long. Pumps overheat on both HLT and MT.
The pumps are rated for 230V, my voltage is @ 251, which is pretty normal for Australia, not sure if that's significant or not.

 

[MartinOC]

Seamad,

Forgive me for getting in-between manufacturer/supplier/consumer...but it seems you had a problem with the original 230V batch (& there may be a few still floating-around) . That problem has been resolved as far as I'm aware.

Chugger's Australian rep. (Andrew) has gone out of his way to resolve many/all(?) concerns with that batch of dodgy pumps, even 'though he could've walked away from the integrity of the product. Instead, he's stood-by it as an item that's worthy of backing & Full-Pint have continued that integrity.

If FP thought it was a shitty pump, I'm sure they wouldn't continue to offer it to us.

 

[seamad]

Martin, I've had 3 pairs, all from different batches as per the dates on my previous post. In fact the worst ones were from the second batch, not the often quoted first bad batch. As I've said before, I must just have been unlucky to get so many crook ones.
It seems brewtrekker has been unlucky as well, would be interested to see what the dates are on those 2 pumps ?