Good Aquarium Pump for Immersion Chiller?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by VikeMan, Jun 16, 2012.

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  1. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,043) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
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    Brewed a Kolsch today and had a tough time getting my wort temp down, even with a prechiller (an extra immersion chiller in an ice chest) in my chain. This is the warmest I think I have seen our tap water, and it's not even summer yet. I know some folks use an aquarium pump to recirculate ice water through their immersion chillers. Is there a pump that someone has used for a long time that's very reliable? Also, please tell me about your method. TIA!
     
  2. jlpred55

    jlpred55 Initiate (0) Jul 26, 2006 Iowa

    I personally use a small sump pump. It has the garden hose male end on it already. It is low flow and does well to just recirc ice water or snow water in winter. I use a 1/2 inch immersion chiller so it handles the flow with ease. I chill down to 100 then use 1 20lb bag of ice. Takes no time.
     
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  3. MattCinatl

    MattCinatl Initiate (0) Aug 30, 2009 Texas

  4. sergeantstogie

    sergeantstogie Initiate (0) Nov 16, 2010 Washington

    Mick, things seem weird when you are the one asking questions.
     
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  5. barfdiggs

    barfdiggs Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2011 California
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  6. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
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    This is how I do it. I found 5' lengths of garden hose with the attachments. I think they were both under $10 at Menards. I just use about 8 ice cube trays worth of ice in a small kettle that I have for strike water.
     
  7. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
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  8. jokelahoma

    jokelahoma Savant (1,138) May 9, 2004 Missouri

    I use an aquarium pump to do exactly what you're describing. One thing to think about, which if you're like me may slip past you: Try to get your bucket o' ice water on the same level as your kettle. Even a little vertical elevation can have a significant impact on water flow. Mine is a small one, rated for up to a 66" head, but even the 24" or so it had to climb from the ground to the top of my chiller reduced flow to the point where it was taking far too long to chill. Placing the bucket on a table where the pump was pretty much level with the kettle eliminated that problem and sped things up considerably.
     
  9. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,043) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
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    Heh. I have never had trouble getting wort into the 50's this time of year. I'm new at this global warming thing. :grimacing:
     
  10. yinzer

    yinzer Initiate (0) Nov 24, 2006 Pennsylvania

    My first sump pump didn't last long. It was really a pond pump. The one that I have now wasn't the cheapest, but if it lasts longer I'll be happy. One thing that I like vs the first one is that it doesn't need to be completely submerged. And I also use it for cleaning. Agitation really speeds up cleaning.
     
  11. JebediahScooter

    JebediahScooter Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2010 Vermont

    I use that $15 one to recirculate ice water through my CFC. Probably 5 batches with it last summer, and I just broke it out for the first batch I've brewed since my ground water got too warm. Still going strong, and it gets the job done no problem. It comes with a bunch of adaptors, but the male garden hose length that is the water-in connection on my CFC screws right into the top.
     
  12. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
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    Get the highest flow rate pump that you can afford. I have a 550 gph and wish I had a bigger one. Harbor has a utility pump that flows a little more than 1500 gph for $50 that is tempting.

    It depends on how much length in the chiller. A 50 ft chiller will have lower flow than a 25 ft.
     
  13. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
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    1500gph is 25 gpm. That's like a gallon every 2 seconds! I'm all for being manly, but at what point to you explode a garden hose? Doesn't slower water (to a point) pick up more heat than water moving too fast? I think my sump is trying too hard as it is. I think it moves a little over 6gal/min.
     
  14. barfdiggs

    barfdiggs Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2011 California
    Deactivated

    The GPH/GPM ratings, I believe, are rated at zero feet of lift (e.g. the point between the pump and the highest point of fluid flow)... While my pump is 1056 GPH, its nowhere near that fast because of the 4-5 feet of height between the pump and the top of my immersion chiller, so despite its high flow rate it only pumps out about 25 gallons of water in the 20 minutes it takes to cool my 10 gallon batches compared to the theoretical output at zero lift of 17.6 GPM.
     
  15. FatSean

    FatSean Initiate (0) Jul 4, 2006 Connecticut

    You asked what we use, so here we go :slight_smile: I had a 1/3hp submersible pump I bought when our basement flooded one year. Probably more money than you want to spend. But it works quite well. Sit it in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket full of ice water, make sure the return line from the chiller pours in from above, not down near the pump intake.

    I wouldn't buy such a pump for your purpose though. It was probably $120.
     
  16. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
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    With zero resistance. 550 gph gives me less than 9 gallons/minute. In fact it is a little dissapointing on the flow.
     
  17. Pegli

    Pegli Initiate (0) Aug 30, 2006 Rhode Island

    I use a 1/6HP Sump Pump that cost < $100. It's rated for 1500gph and has no problem with any head pressures involved with brewing. With 30lbs ($6) of ice, I can get 10 gallons down to lager temps in ~ 15 minutes. It's also one of those tools that, once you have it, you find many uses for it - flooded basement, empty a pool, water the lawn with rain barrel water, etc.
     
  18. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    I can't see why a pump would work better than a pre-chiller. Less water usage would be my main reason for using a pump(although, we are just borrowing that right?). At least with the prechiller the recirculating water isn't melting the ice right away.
     
  19. Pegli

    Pegli Initiate (0) Aug 30, 2006 Rhode Island

    I think it has to do with flow rate and temperature gradient. If you run through the pre-chiller too fast, it won't get down to ~32*F...if you run too slow, the pre-chiller works but you'll have hot water coming out of your immersion chiller. With my sump pump recirculator, I can scream ice cold water through the whole system which cools things down faster.
     
  20. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    Interesting, and it make sense. How much ice do you typically go through?
     
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