Need a Pump

I perform my fall fermentation in my garage. After it is complete instead of racking to carboy's and carrying them down the basement to a warmer area for mlf. I am going to drill a small hole from the garage to the basement and run a clear 1/2" line to pump it to the basement and directly into carboy's down there. Can anyone suggest a good food grade pump that could accomplish sending the wine to the basement?

Yep. The all in one wine pump.

sdelli said:

I perform my fall fermentation in my garage. After it is complete instead of racking to carboy's and carrying them down the basement to a warmer area for mlf. I am going to drill a small hole from the garage to the basement and run a clear 1/2" line to pump it to the basement and directly into carboy's down there. Can anyone suggest a good food grade pump that could accomplish sending the wine to the basement?

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I have sold alot of pumps for the exact situation you are in.

You are welcome to PM me and I can give you more exact details about how others did the same exact thing you did.

I already have an all in one pump. Looking for something a little bigger

sdelli said:

I already have an all in one pump. Looking for something a little bigger

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I thought so ?

If you PM me on the type of quantity you are looking at, I am sure I can possibly help you.

The Allinonewinepump would probably fill a 6 gallon carboy around 3 minutes using a 1/2'' racking line. You would have to put a valve in-line in order to stop it as gravity will take over because of the height difference.

I think it was TonyT that used his pump (I believe an AllinOne) to go from his kitchen or basement to the garage freezer where he'd been cold stabilizing. Maybe he'll chime in.

You could hobble one together with a medical aspirator but you would be much better off and buying an all in one. I got a hell of a deal on an aspirator long ago but if I had it to do over, I would get an all in one.

A 3 gpm shurflo diaphram pump would do the trick. You have to be careful of sediments but if your wine is pretty clear, it should work fine.

I have this little Shurflo pump, inexpensive and works like a champ. It can pump liquid a long way, but check to see if it can pump up hill 10 feet to go back up from the basement, as that may take more HP than this little guy can handle.

Thanks.... Don't I have to be worried the pump is rated food safe? Even if new?

sdelli said:

Thanks.... Don't I have to be worried the pump is rated food safe? Even if new?

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The main issue is the lubricants/sealants used. Those must be food safe if it comes in contact with the wine.

I already have an all in one pump. Looking for something a little bigger

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Since you are racking downhill, you can use multiple tubing to increase the flow. Much cheaper than a new pump.

Start one tubing flowing, and disconnect the AIO from the double hole bung. Gravity will keep the wine flowing. You can then start a second carboy with a second set of tubing and bung.

Like Steve said, make sure you have a valve to stop the wine from flowing when the carboy fills up.

I could be wrong but I picture this pump setup in my garage and then pumping to the basement. This way it is always sending fluids and not dealing with gravity.... I think the distance will probably be about 25 feet... Mostly sent downhill. Thru my basement header.. Accross the joice... And then hanging down to carboys on a prep table.

A small food grade pump should be sufficient. In order for it to work, the pressure head generated by the pump, must be equal or greater than the losses from the tubbing and the change elevation change. You might want to rig up a bypass in order to control the flow rate from the pump if it is a single speed pump.

I bet this guy would do the trick.

http://morewinemaking.com/products/variable-speed-diaphragm-pump-03-gpm.html

sdelli said:

Thanks.... Don't I have to be worried the pump is rated food safe? Even if new?

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Yes, this ShureFlow pump is food safe. It has applications handling fluids, like fresh water.

Thanks! Just ordered the ShurfIo. Talked to their support and he gave me a model to go after... I found it new for only $92 with shipping! Think I will copy yours with the light switch! Should save my back this fall drastically... I am going to get it all setup and do a run with water to test it out this summer.....

Shurflo makes great pumps ! Just make sure that you add a 50 mesh strainer on the intake side to prevent any damage to the pump.

sdelli said:

Think I will copy yours with the light switch!

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It really helps to have an on/off switch handy when you are about to spill the juice you have been nurturing for a year. I agree on the strainer. I made the mistake of running without it and the had to take the pump apart to remove seeds that were wedged in the diaphragms.

What strainer did you use?

sdelli said:

What strainer did you use?

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I used a special 50 mesh strainer when I developed the pressurized bottle cleaner - http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49381

I think you would be better off using an inline strainer with a removable bowl -

like I mentioned in my thread - make sure you use a GFI outlet or purchase the adapter that I have a link to for 13 dollars - a must have !

You still will need a valve at the end of the hose because of head pressure within the line.

I just bought this inline strainer. It works well. Watch it though as it can get clogged pretty easily. Never had any problem with the finer sediments that go through this.

http://www.amazon.com/SHURFLO-255-313-Twist--Pipe-Strainer/dp/B000V2W0GE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430360573&sr=8-1&keywords=shurflo+strainer