I just became aware of a new pump that Blichmann is coming out with. I saw a pre-production version at my LHBS and heard their staff’s reviews after using it in their in-house system. It reportedly was developed in conjunction with March pumps and it does look and sound impressive.
From the pump specs, it is more powerful than the typical March or Chugger since it reportedly delivers up to 7 gpm and max’s out at 21 ft of head. I seem to recall that my March 815 can deliver something like 5 gpm and it max’s out at about 12 ft of head. So this new pump can move some wort. Interestingly, the SST head is held onto the motor with a tri-clover clamp and it includes one of Blichmann’s needle valves for flow control. I see that it also includes a spring-loaded bleed port to allow you to quickly expel air from the pump volute.
The guys at my LHBS said the pump is almost scary quiet, so that is nice. But, I have to admit that the typical March or Chugger isn’t that loud either.
I’m not in the market for a pump, but if I was, this would definitely be at the top of the list.
They put some thought into that puppy. Really good performance, integral valve, quick no-tools disassembly, power switch, 10 ft. cord, base doubles as cord storage. The price ain’t bad considering the features.
Something more that I just noticed that makes it a really good brew pump. The motor is totally enclosed, fan cooled. You can hose it down!
There is a nice YouTube video comparing the March, Chugger, and Riptide.
After watching that video I decided to purchase one from Great Fermentations to replace my SS Chugger pump. Wish they came out with a pump head with TC outputs also.
It’s not that it’s sacrilegious, it just defeats the point of spending the money for a sanitary fitting.
There are other options that are just as convenient connection-wise as a TC, for a fraction of the cost. The reason behind the cost is the ability to really sanitize everything.
DISCLAIMER: This applies to using TC tubing connections. I don’t feel this way about using it on element ports, or the way they’re utilized on the pump in question. Some components pretty much only come in TC as well, so you’re kinda stuck with the cost at that point.
I hope at NHC we will be able to hear the pump operate. Oddly, that is what could be a make or break for me, because the small DC pump that is available is incredibly quiet…and I may opt for the more quiet of the two, (but the Blichmann features are definitely impressive - especially being “splash resistant” and easily broken down for deep cleaning).
