Messages

16

Equipment and Software / Re: Questions you may have about March Pumps? post them here

« on: February 27, 2012, 12:10:39 PM »

Hey, great! Walter, why is there an availability difference between March USA and, for example, March May in the UK? There's a really nice nano pump at morebeer (http://morebeer.com/view_product/12009/103556/March_Nano_Brewery_Pump_-_Stainless_110V) but the march may guy told me he didn't carry anything like that. Do you sell a 220/50hz version?

The March May guys are a sister company and they buy a bunch of our pump heads but install their own motors for the european side of things...they even have alot of their own pumps that we do not sell here.
That pump you posted the link to is something we made to try and get a stainless pump to the larger beer guys a bit cheaper then the standard industrial type we normally sell. If you call them up again try and ask for the TE-5S-MD or their equivalant. If they have our version then the motor is TEFC and is 115/230v 50/60hz compatible. Or they will have one just like it. And see if you can get a price break if they change out the full stainless impeller with one made out of Polysulfone or if not then Kynar should work as well.

17

Equipment and Software / Re: Questions you may have about March Pumps? post them here

« on: February 27, 2012, 12:00:06 PM »

Thanks, Walter.  My pump does have the oil markings and I'm in the detached garage/temp swings/dusty category.  I've had it a couple years and never oiled it, so I guess it's time!

The motor Mfg actually tells us that theres enough in the bearing area right out of the factory that in a 24/7 use it will go 3-5 years no problem...but in those cases its sitting in an indoor situation and the temps do change much.

18

Equipment and Software / Re: Questions you may have about March Pumps? post them here

« on: February 27, 2012, 10:04:39 AM »

Good question. Depending on the motor that comes with the pump it may or may net need oiling. If you look on the motor itself, on the white label that has all the specs of the motor like voltage etc....you will find it say "OIL" with arrows on each side pointing tot he end caps of the motor. At the edge of the caps you will find a hole and if you look inside the motor you will see a small channel leading tot he center cap where the sleeve bearing is located. Any 3-in-1 oil will work fine. You can pick it up at any hardware store. Its most commonly used for sewing machines and small motors etc. Or any light weight machine oil you can find will work too. As for how often to oil these units? That depends on how often you use it...what kind of environment you keep the pump in etc. For most beer brewers that keep their equipment in the garage and has for the most part a constant temp...then once a year is more then enough.
If your garage is detached and you get big temp swings like up here in the winter or if you are in a dry/dusty region then 2-3 times a year may be warranted. And it only needs like 2-3 drops per bearing.

If your pump motor does NOT have that "OIL" marking on the motor label then you have a ball bearing motor and it does not require any lubrication.

19

Equipment and Software / Questions you may have about March Pumps? post them here

« on: February 27, 2012, 08:29:04 AM »

I hope this thread will help any brewers with issues they may have with their pumps. Feel free to post you question/problem here and i will answer it and the rest of the community can see the fix....if you want you can also PM or email me. 

-Walter

20

Equipment and Software / March Pump orientation/mounting tutorial

« on: February 27, 2012, 08:25:39 AM »

There are a few issues we have found over the years with beer brewers that seem to cause them problems. The most common is pump orientation. So i thought i would just go over the main points incase it help's someone tweak their system better or setup a new brew stand.
The first picture is usually how the pump comes straight out of the box. Pay no attention to the thread size as I just happen to take a custom one off the shelf here in the repair dept for this example. This one has 1" thread fittings on it.
As you can see the outlet is on the right hand side of the picture and the inlet is on the left. The outlet is higher to allow air to escape out of the pump. Some brewers have mounted the pump upside down and that results in an air pocket being trapped in the pump head (Refer to pic #2) When you go to start the pump up it will cavitate the air with the liquid and it’s a 50/50 chance it will be able to purge itself of that air. Best thing to do is take the 4 Phillips screws out and rotate the head 180* so the outlet is once again back on the right hand side when looking at it.
Ideally, if you have the room to rotate the pump head, the best orientation would be with the outlet facing straight up with the inlet on the bottom like in Pic #3
There have been a few people that we have seen with the inlet at the top and outlet on the bottom...that way can also trap air in the pump head (pic #4)

And lastly if space is an issue and the pump gets mounted vertically, then the best way to do that is with the pump head on top of the motor. This is usually met with resistance as most people think if the pump head leaks it will get the motor all wet. While that is true...this orientation is the only way to again get all the air out of the pump head and not have issues with cavitating. Pic #5
Pic #6 shows the way it should not be mounted....

21

Equipment and Software / Greetings from March Pumps

« on: February 27, 2012, 08:16:05 AM »

Hello everyone! I have been asked to join here and offer advice with any issues people may have with their March pumps....or if i can be of service for other pumps i will do my best for you. So best way to get a hold of me is to either PM me or shoot me an email. Or if you want to post a thread then just give me a heads up on it and i will post on there for all to see. Cheers! 

-Walter