What kind of water pump do you use?

[brodywx]

For the people who use an electric pump to circulate water in their still, what kind of pump do you use?

I went and bought a small fountain pump from the pet store today, but it doesn't have nearly enough power to circulate water through my still.

[olddog]

It's not just the power of the pump, the head height is important too( the height from the surface of the water to the highest point you want to pump to)
I use a submersible aquarium pump 600GHP and with 3' head hight, this provides the cooling water for my Flute which has 2 condensers, the dephlagmater at the head of the column and the Graham condenser for product takeoff.



OD

[brodywx]

How high can your 600 GPH pump water? I think the one I bought is only 40 GPH and it can only get the water up about two feet vertical. My condenser is going to be about 9 feet in the air and I don't really want to have the water reservoir sitting up real high.

[LWTCS]

my 350 gph is good for 12-15' of head.

[olddog]

I use a submersible aquarium pump 600GHP and with 3' head hight,

Sorry my mistake, its 600 litres per hour.


OD

[brodywx]

What did you guys pay for your pumps?

[Caprimulgus]

12V submersable for solar panels, 111GPH, 5 meter head, 16USD.

[Kentucky shinner]

I am using an old swimming pool pump with a 1/2 horsepower motor. I dont know the numbers on it, but it will pump a 3/4" stream about 30feet straight up in the air.. Way more pump than I need but it was free.

[The Baker]

Try raising the water barrel so that the water level is about the same height as the condenser.

Effectively the pump will only have to circulate the water, not raise it as well.

Might work, depends on your pump. Some will circulate happily but won't raise the water against much 'head' at all.

[bgrizzle]

My 2 cents...

I use a 500gph pump that I bought at Lowes for about $80.00. It is VERY strong, and maybe overkill, but its a good reliable pump. If you're looking for something cheap, maybe check out harbor freight.

[Bayou-Ruler]

My 2 cents...

I use a 500gph pump that I bought at Lowes for about $80.00. It is VERY strong, and maybe overkill, but its a good reliable pump. If you're looking for something cheap, maybe check out harbor freight.

I use that same pump.

[brodywx]

My 2 cents...

I use a 500gph pump that I bought at Lowes for about $80.00. It is VERY strong, and maybe overkill, but its a good reliable pump. If you're looking for something cheap, maybe check out harbor freight.

Think I'll try something like that, they sell up to 1000 GPH fountain pumps here. The 1000GPH is around the same price so I might give it a shot. Hope it's not too much.

[bgrizzle]

No worries about the pump being too strong...

Get a T fitting. One side of the T will go to your still... the other side of the T goes to a ball valve... The ball valve should be in your water collection vessel. You can open the ball valve to relieve the pressure on the pump.

Lets say your still will handle 2 gallons a minute... Thats 120 gallons per hour. So you will be able to open the ball valve up quite a bit. Open the ball valve until the flow to your still starts to slow down. Then close it just a tad bit. In theory, 120 gallons would go through the still, and the other 880 gallons would flow back into the water barrel. Thus your 1000GPH pump would push 1000GPH. There would be no restriction and no pressure on the pump...

I hope this helps.

[MaxT]

I have 3, 10,000L tanks that I use for gardening so I bought a D.A.B Cast Iron self priming pump to push the water around.(0.75kW, 1.0hp, 240V). I also use this for the still. I run the water into the condenser using head pressure from the tank, and then use the pump to send it back.
Works a treat.

[myles]

I bought a great big water butt pump. 11 meter head height,1.1 barr, more power than I will ever need. Not only will it power the cooling for the still, but it pressurises the greenhouse, barn, and if I wanted it would run a thermal heating coil too.

Buy big - buy once. Don't mess about, invest in a good one and it will run a sauna too.

SORRY but I keep thinking that a heating coil in a sauna would work as a great condenser One day I want to build a wood fired sauna/still/hot tub just to say "f**k you* to the men in suits.

[ArkyJ]

With my new still, figured a new pump should go with it. So, it's a Smartpond submersible pond pump, 210 gallons per hour. Fired that puppy up and holey poop. Water went every where. Finally got my hands on the outlet line and pointed back into the tank. Great smarts on the part of those pond people for putting a flow valve on the pump and now she works just fine. Probably pumping 70 to 90 gal per hour. Got the pump at Lowes and with all them damn taxs was about $50 dollars.
ArkyJ

[brodywx]

Ended up buying a 1/6 HP submersible pump. Rated for 84 GPH at 10 feet, which is about the height of my condensers. Should be able to test it very soon, as soon as I wire up my heating element.

[still livin]

Anybody use a pump like this?
C.A.P. XTREME SUBMERSIBLE WATER PUMP 270 G.P.H.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/C-A-P-XTREME-SU ... 9166757013" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[NcHooch]

I am using an old swimming pool pump with a 1/2 horsepower motor. I dont know the numbers on it, but it will pump a 3/4" stream about 30feet straight up in the air.. Way more pump than I need but it was free.

LOL,
KS, do you hafta anchor your rig down to the concrete deck before you fire that baby up?

I use a Beckett 150 gph (110vac) submersible fountain pump ...as I recall it has a 4 ft lift.

...for comparison, my pump is just 1/64 hp .
.
... It's how you use it that counts tho.

[maheel]

Anybody use a pump like this?
C.A.P. XTREME SUBMERSIBLE WATER PUMP 270 G.P.H.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/C-A-P-XTREME-SU ... 9166757013" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

yeah i use something like that

the only issue they have is the head height is quite low (on that one) and it might struggle with a 1/4 inch tube condenser

IMO a head height of at least 10-15 feet would be a lot better so you still get a good flow at 5-6 feet etc

[FossZ]

now when you say "head height" is that the height that a pump can pump water up to before back pressure overcomes it?

[Arphaxad]

FYI. I read somewhere that if you can get the lines filled with water the the siphoning effect of the water line comming down will balance the weight of the water going up so the pump only has to deal with the pressure lost due to friction in coolant path.

[King Of Hearts]

I use a march pump that is part of my brewery setup. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/march-se ... ature.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[heynonny]

I use a bilge pump, I think its about 350 gph, these things need to be DEPENDABLE. I paid fifty bucks new, you can replace the motor or impeller on this one, its plastic "for the tupperware boats". It runs off 12 volts, I use a n old batt charger, it pulls (zero amps, needle barely off the peg), when its not primed, and 2 amps when pumping, a good quick visual indication of water flow to the condenser. -hey-

[Drauka99]

now when you say "head height" is that the height that a pump can pump water up to before back pressure overcomes it?

yes, but its not exactly back pressure its the weight of the water its lifting (know as head).. most pumps have a max head they can pump..... keep in mind the pump curve will tell you how much that "head" is going to affect the flow of the pump... i.e. most pumps are rated at 0 head.. so say you have a 300gph (gallons per hour pump. at 2' of head that pump may have a pump curve that says its only pumping 50gph. Every pump is diffrent depending on the motor type and the impeler

I will be using several marine aquarium pumps I have. you can get them pretty cheap online at Marine Depot

[FossZ]

so does this need go down with a liebig condenser? even if the thing is 30' in the air the volume of water isnt a whole lot, my 40gph tile saw pump handled that from the floor to the counter top. just wondering as i build my first "real" still

[maheel]

so does this need go down with a liebig condenser? even if the thing is 30' in the air the volume of water isnt a whole lot, my 40gph tile saw pump handled that from the floor to the counter top. just wondering as i build my first "real" still

yes the pump made it to the counter but did it just run out onto the saw table blade, or did it have to wind it way through 5Meters of coil

many say the bilge pumps are pretty good, but they are 12V so you need to power it
my pond pump is ok but i feed it from a tank that is 4 feet high so head height is not such and issue to my 6 foot boka with 3/8th coil (it's 240v plug and play)

look for something with a good head so you know you will have a good flow at say 5 -> 6 feet etc
or buy from somewhere you can return it to easy if needed

[Arphaxad]

Am I the only one having trouble not making a wise crack.

Good head equals good flow got it.

[heynonny]

arphaxad said:

Am I the only one having trouble not making a wise crack.

, , , , You can beat your dog, you can beat your wife, but you cant beat, , , ,

[FossZ]

is this going to turn into a "man from Nantucket" limerick ?