Chugger Pump Seized Up

[ScrewyBrewer]

After only 5 batches my Chugger pump has seized up tight. It started sputtering during the whirlpool and after a few minutes locked up completely. The pump I have has a stainless steel pump head and I was wondering if anyone here had the same issue too. I've read where this is a fairly common problem with these pumps and possible they need to be taken apart and manually cleaned to prevent the gummy wort from seizing the impeller up.

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[JohnSant]

Screwy can't say anything about your chugger pump but having 20 yrs. of exp. in steam engineering I can say you should at least flush your pump with clean water to remove any wort that has remained inside between the casing and impeller. That should remove the build-up between the two. I would recommend hot water just in case some of it has already dried before flush. Just FWIW I would open the pump and see if that is your problem, it could have overheated and the motor has frozen up.

[ScrewyBrewer]

@JohnSant thanks for sharing. I've poured a hot mixture of PBW in the pump now, hopefully it'll free it up. If not I'll have to call Chugger since it's still under warranty but I'd also like to know how to dissemble the pump head to get at the impeller. I've been cleaning the pump in place after each brew but the tolerances of the impeller shaft are pretty tight.

[JohnSant]

Screwy the screws on top of the pump side should allow entry to pump end, when putting it back to together use pattern on gasket and when you first start to snug it up turn the pump by using a small screwdriver on the motor side to turn it as you tighten it this should let you know if its starting to bind up and allow you to make adjustments as you go. You will need to make a full turn to insure no binding anywhere. Just for --its and giggles; did you notice if the motor felt to warm when you stopped the pump? Just asking to see if it may be the motor, as with my experience its always the first thing I check on motor driven pumps. Just saying.....

Use a cross bolt tightening pattern when putting it back together and don't over tighten which could cause the pump to bind up.

Call Chugger first if its not the motor they should replace it and Hey they may replace it even if it is the motor, some do and some don't.

[ScrewyBrewer]

Thanks folks for offering some help here, you can't imagine how empty I've felt inside knowing my ability to brew again was dependent on getting a new pump fixed. As it turned out a quick call to Chugger pump, which is located less than 5 miles from my house, was all it took to figure out how to fix the issue.

Due to the very close design tolerances the clearance between the shaft and the impeller hole is so tight that it's impossible to keep or wash the sticky wort out so the pumps eventually seize up. Their answer to fix the issue was to ream out the impeller hole using a 17/64 inch, or better yet an "F" gauge drill bit, to allow more clearance and reduce the chance of seizing again. If you're like me and you're not yet willing to take a drill to a new pump, they recommend taking the pump head apart after every brewday. Using a small brush dipped in a mixture of hot water and PBW push it through the impeller hole until it's clear of sticky wort. Of curse soaking the entire head for an hour or so will also help clear any sticky wort from the rest of the head assemble too.

Once cleaned I reassembled the pump head, turned it on and it is now working as good as new.

[JohnSant]

Good things come to those who ask. Glad to hear its not a big problem.

[DaYooper]

That sounds like a serious design flaw for a pump that is made to pump wort. If they are recommending reaming the hole I wonder why they have not made the change already?

[ScrewyBrewer]

Agreed, a quick Google search of 'Chugger pump seized' shows it's a common problem after about 4 or 5 batches. I cleaned mine right away by recirculating hot water and PBW and the inside of the pump head was clean and shiny, but the impeller was stuck tight to the shaft.

[BlackDuck]

That sounds like a serious design flaw for a pump that is made to pump wort. If they are recommending reaming the hole I wonder why they have not made the change already?

I agree with this....if you have to machine a brand new pump to make it do what it's supposed to do, well, to me, that's a bad design.

[jimjohson]

Nothing to add, just want to be sure I understand the basic function. The pump is what you use to transfer wort from pot to pot right? (hey I never claimed to be the sharpest tack in the box)

[ScrewyBrewer]

Nothing to add, just want to be sure I understand the basic function. The pump is what you use to transfer wort from pot to pot right? (hey I never claimed to be the sharpest tack in the box)

@jimjohson for me the pump is used to recirculate the hot wort during the mash from the bottom of the kettle up to a spray nozzle in the lid. So on a typical brewday using a 90 minute mash the pump runs that long plus 20 minutes to heat up the strike water and another 20 minutes recirculating hot water and PBW for cleaning in place.

[jimjohson]

Oh, I get it...Bet that increased your efficiencies a bunch.