Harbor Freight Pumps

[carbon]

Can anyone give me a reason why this pump wouldn't work for brewing? Other than the obvious alligator clip setup, which I would fix of course. I was checking them out at HF yesterday and they seem solid and the housing is stainless. They had no temperature rating, but again, the housing is stainless, so I would think it would tolerate boiling wort and sanitizers.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... umber=9576

[BrewMasterBrad]

The housing is stainless, but it does not say what the impeller and other parts that may contact the liquid are made of. Might be worth a try, but I would dis-assemble it first to see what it looks like inside.

[backyard brewer]

I had one for a bit and returned it. It worked great, but too great. It's not a mag-drive pump so you shouldn't really throttle it back with a ball valve. I was playing with a speed controller since it's 12VDC. The other issue for me anyway is it was pretty loud. And finally like Brad pointed out, it's unknown if the impeller and seals are food-grade.

[brew captain]

Harbor Freight = Cheap Chinese Crap

Opinions may vary, but that is mine from personal experience...

Cheers!

[carbon]

Harbor Freight = Cheap Chinese Crap

I agree. I'm always skeptical of their products. However, cheap is the key word here. If my requirements are far less than the stated performance capabilities of said product, than I am willing to consider that it might work for my application and be far cheaper than other options. I won't be getting this pump based on what I've read here.

[backyard brewer]

Harbor Freight = Cheap Chinese Crap

Opinions may vary, but that is mine from personal experience...

Cheers!

Not always. Some of their stuff is exactly that. I've purchased a few things that are quite nice. I have a tile saw from them that has been great, a bench grinder a few other things. I've also bought a few things that suck, but in fairness I knew they were too cheap to be good in the first place.