March pump

[Brandt]

So I got the March pump to move my beer around. I mounted it and my plate chiller on a table with a switch for the pump. I used the polysulfone QD's so I could quickly switch the pump to other uses and for easy cleanup and storage. So, at this point I'm thinking I'm pretty bad-ass and I try to brew TWO BATCHES in the middle of the night in under 5 hours, cause, ya know, it will be easier now, right?

Wrong. I could not keep wort in that damn pump to save my life. If it wasn't one problem it was another. I got both beers brewed in under 4 hours, and it took two moer hours to cool and transfer them. I lost about a gallon of each one due to unneccesary waste.

My method to fll the system is I have a stainless ball lock on the output of the pump. I open it, suck some sanitizer through with my mouth, close the valve, then put both ends in the sanitizer and open er up. When it's flowing well, I close the valve then switch the in tube to my wort, the out tube to my plate chiller (with QD's), open it and let er rip after dischaging the first little bit of sanitizer. This works great and cools a gallon of wort in just seconds, until air gets in from I don't know where and stops the flow.

I don't have a bulkhead on my kettle as the US Army owns it and I am not legally allowed to alter it. I use a SS racking cane and silicone tubing and it is elevated slightly above the pump. The whole reason I got the pump was to make this system work without a valve on the kettle.

So how do you guys (A) start the pump? and (B) keep it full of liquid? I felt like I was working way too hard last night.

[Lars]

Your technique sounds fine. I think this is your problem...

until air gets in from I don't know where and stops the flow.

Find out how air is getting into the system and stop it. Then it should work fine. Although, I've had a similar problem with my wort boiling in the hoses and the pump... Now I just wait a few minutes to start hte pump.

[bub]

put a hose clamp on that hose/racking cane connection... almost guaranteed that is where you are getting air.
BUB

[Brandt]

Bub, I suspected the same thing. That's the weakest link. Thanks for confirming it. Thanks too, Lars for the suggestion. What did you mean by boiling wort in your hoses being a problem? Could you elaborate?

I may need put a QD on the end of the racking cane too, because I don't use a hop bag and there's a SS scrubbie on the end of that cane to filter the hops. The hose needs to stay filled with liquid for this to all work, and I like the ability to disconnect as needed. It is neccesary for the cane to stay in the kettle with my setup.

My other thought is to use a hop bag and just stick the hose in the kettle.

[Petedadink]

I had almost the same problem when I first got my pump.. I did come across a post about having the in-flow below the out-flow. I then rotated the pump head and problem solved.
my .02

[BDawg]

I'd like to find a nice, small pushbutton-type bleeder valve that has 1/2" NPT threads. Anybody know of where I can find such a beast?