Pump for cooling water

[3rdto1st]

Hey guys, so I am getting the itch to brew again, but I swore I won't do another one without having a pump to run my immersion chiller. I was hoping to find one that was submersible, but that does not look feasible, so I am rethinking my application. Anyway, I don't need anything fancy as I'm just pumping cold water, but I do want it to last and I do want it to be able to chill 10gal when I move up to that. Right now the contenders are:

https://www.brewershardware.com/Chugger ... ER-PL.html

https://www.brewershardware.com/Chugger ... -Pump.html
Does the Stainless really matter that much?

http://morebeer.com/view_product/11622/ ... _High_Flow

Also, does inline vs center inlet really have a large impact in anybody's experience? Appreciate the help.

[brahn]

This is just for pumping cooling water through your immersion chiller? What's wrong with your sink? A sump pump or even fountain pump should be sufficient and far cheaper. I use a simple ~$40 fountain pump when I want to recirculate ice water through my chiller, although I rarely do this anymore. jward used to use a submersible sump pump back when he brewed beer.

If you're looking to pump wort to get better movement across the immersion chiller those pumps are great. The stainless doesn't really matter that much, but if you're trying to go all stainless the chugger is the way to go and it's still cheaper than the polysulfone march pumps.

The inline vs center inlet comes down to two things. The center inlet can be mounted in a stand without having to make a U with the inlet tubing, this may be helpful in some situations. The center inlet also has a larger 3/4" inlet which would let you use a larger tubing if you have a 1.5" TC outlet from your kettle and the fittings to match.

[dhempy]

FWIW when I was using an immersion chiller I used a $40 Harbor Freight Sump Pump to pump cold water through the IC ... stole the idea from BrewMasterBrad! I also used it to build a Keg Cleaner ... which is its sole purpose now.

with my new system, I'm using a plate chiller and when I need to chill to lager pitching temps, my March 809 pumps (with Chugger SS heads and the upgraded 815 impellers) work great to pump through the trub filter, then plate chiller, then HERMS coils in my HLT ice bath, then inline O2, and onto the fermenter (i.e. they pump wort a long way with no issues ... now anyway).

IIRC, the new morebeer pump is simply the 809 with the upgraded impeller.

Dan

[BrewMasterBrad]

I use a sump pump from Home Depot to recirc ice water from a five gallon bucket through the immersion chiller. I also recirc the wort at the same time using a March pump. Works great.

[3rdto1st]

Brahn, I think we discussed why I can't use my sink. I'm brewing outside and so after my boil I have to carry the hot pot inside to the sink. This has resulted in some nasty burns that I would rather not experience again.

Anyway, I'll look in to these Sump Pumps as it looks like that might do the job for now.

[brahn]

Brahn, I think we discussed why I can't use my sink. I'm brewing outside and so after my boil I have to carry the hot pot inside to the sink. This has resulted in some nasty burns that I would rather not experience again.

Anyway, I'll look in to these Sump Pumps as it looks like that might do the job for now.

That's right, I forgot about that.

You'll need a pretty big reservoir if you're going to use the pump for all of your cooling needs, and I wouldn't recirculate the first runoff back into it if you can avoid it.

[dhempy]

One Home Depot Option

One Harbor Freight Option

Like Brad, my pump sat in a 6 gallon bucket (old fermenting bucket) of ice water. I make ice in 1/2 gallon OJ cartons specifically for brewing so I don't have to go buy a bag! You can use PVC fittings to plumb up what you need from the pump. The way I had it was to use PVC to garden hose fittings and then I used old washing machine hoses which were the right length to the chiller in my boilpot and back to the bucket. Aside from already having hose fittings, the hoses were also labeled Hot / Cold so that a forgetful old fart like me could hook 'em up right every time (it made a difference for my pump). Besides, it can be a great excuse to replace ones that will fail when you're away on vacation and flood your house for a week (happened to a neighbor!)

Dan

[nevery]

No garden hose? If so, you can also use two immersion chillers, the first being in the ice bath. I'm sure you already know that, but it's cheaper than a march or chugger pump. But great ideas, guys. Just make sure the pump you buy is capable of a vertical pressure well over the height of your kettle.

[Marotte Brewery]

Brahn, I think we discussed why I can't use my sink. I'm brewing outside and so after my boil I have to carry the hot pot inside to the sink. This has resulted in some nasty burns that I would rather not experience again.

Why can't you just run a hose from your sink to the where you are brewing?

[bwarbiany]

It's not the cheapest answer, but maybe you should just move...

[3rdto1st]

It's not the cheapest answer, but maybe you should just move...

Thats the plan. Just gotta deal with the wedding first...