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Looking to Buy: Budget-Friendly Mash Pump
Hello,
We’re looking for an affordable mash pump, something reasonable for a smaller distillery that’s just starting out.
I’d like something that won’t clog with a grain in mash and/or cause me to pull my hair out and wish I never purchased it.
If you have something or know of something please give me a holler.
Thanks!
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8 Replies
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A good bet is to hunt on ebay frequently. Search terms: centrifugal pump, sanitary pump, impeller pump, lobe pump. Look for triclamp connections that are 1.5″ or larger.
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A good bet is to hunt on ebay frequently. Search terms: centrifugal pump, sanitary pump, impeller pump, lobe pump. Look for triclamp connections that are 1.5″ or larger.
Thanks, I have searched a couple of those terms but not all of them. I’ll check it out
I am a bit hesitant to use something which didn’t come from a brewery/distillery as I have no idea what may have previously gone through the pump.
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What you call affordable? We’re a small startup and scraped together funding for a US-FIP pump. Check them out here:
http://www.americanwinepump.com/products.html
I was really hesitant as it’s a substantial investment but in my opinion well worth it.
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Thanks, I have searched a couple of those terms but not all of them. I’ll check it out
I am a bit hesitant to use something which didn’t come from a brewery/distillery as I have no idea what may have previously gone through the pump.
We went the ebay route. Key is to get a good standard pump type that is wash-down, food-grade sanitary, all stainless steel. They can be fully disassembled, cleaned, and put back together, which should allay concerns about previous use. We were able to get a $3000 pump for $600 that way, and it has served well for the past two years.
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Went eBay as well, we were able to get a two 2″ sanitary positive displacement lobe pumps for a fantastic price. Most high quality sanitary pumps are primarily stainless and are designed to be cleaned, even aggressively so, so I wouldn’t worry. In addition, these things are wildly expensive new, so more than likely, they were used in food or pharmaceutical production, as few other uses could justify the price tag new. One of pumps was used to make Aquafresh and Sensodyne toothpaste, the other one was an unused spare. We needed to fabricate a cart and wire up a VFD for speed control, but that’s minor, overall we saved a small fortune. All in these two pumps would have probably cost us more than $15k new, I think we’re in to them for about $1500.
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EB, what size FIP did you get? We are considering these pumps, but wonder if a 2 inch would handle the abuse we will give it, or go a bit larger, to 2 1/2 inch. We need to move and “pump over” some pretty heavy grain mashes. Thanks, John
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The FIP pump is OK for small amounts of grain mash. But if you plan to move say 500 gallons a day plus, every day, it will not last. You will be rebuilding it. They,will not stand the abrasion of the grain. They stand up better than most flexible impellers than I have seen but they are expensive to maintain period. For the same money, you can buy a moyno style pump that will move any amount of grain mash you would like to. And a rebuild is half the price should you need one.
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I ended up purchasing an air operated double diaphragm pump. For the price I couldn’t pass it up and I’m hoping it works fine for now. 1.5″ in and 1.25″ out. *crosses fingers*,
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