Thomsen pumps with external seal?

[Sauce]

Wondering who is using a thomsen pump with an external seal, specifically as their wort pump.

We have been having problems with leakage around the shaft. We've replaced parts (seal kits, back plate, mounting bracket) with no improvement and even bought a complete pump unit from Thomsen and it developed a slow leak over about a week and a half.

The people at Thomsen have been great and are sending us a new unit with a external seal no charge in exchange for our recently purchased pump.

The only issue I see using one is that the external seal needs a small supply of water to keep it lubricated.

The tech told me that this issue isn't uncommon, that its almost a 50/50 break with breweries having the same problem with leaks we have had.

So, is anyone using one, and how has it performed if you have?

Thanks

JackK

[Laughing Dog]

Jack is it a number 6 external seal pump?
if so the most likely source of leak is the shattering of the ceramic seal at the back this is almost alway due to thermal shock going from hot to cold instantly such as at CIP or rinse out.
we get at best 10 weeks out of a 60 dollar seal kit until we replace the brew house later this year we are going to live with the replacement process

Fred
Laughing Dog Brewing

[Sauce]

Thanks for the reply Fred,

I guess I wasnt too clear in post. The pump that we have that leaked and was replaced was a standard thomsen pump with a internal seal.

But your insight into the external seal pumps maintenance requirements and issues is what I'm looking to find out about.

Thanks again

JackK

[russdog63]

We had the same problem with our new Thomsen #4 external seal pump that we used for hot wart transfer. I talked to reps from Thomsen about it and they said an external water bath was helpful for that. From my understanding with him, and my own experience, hot sugary liquids pose a challenge to the pump seals and parts. The problem is if any wort leaks through the seal it crystallizes and acts as pretty harsh abrasive and wears on the seals, shaft, and backplate.

Luckily, for us, we had another Thomsen #4 pump. The motor on it was only a 1/2 horse and we could not use it for pushing wort through our heat exchanger. This pump was an internal seal. By swapping the backplates I made our hot Transfer pump an internal seal and our other pump an external seal. I have had better luck with the internal seal but it requires it's share of maintainence. The teflon seals are cheaper but they don't last as long. We break down the pump after every use. We clean the shaft, seals and parts real good and put it back together again making sure a little sani lube gets on the o rings.

With this maintainence schedule leakage is very rare. If it does happen we take care of it before it causes wear on pump parts. It also keeps our pump running properly without having any aeration problems.

[Matt Dog]

Talk to the guys at Dairy Engineering. I purchased several pumps from them that worked well for both CIP and Wort transfer. They know thier stuff and will talk to you about your issues and give you options.