Have not posted anything in quite a while, as family obligations were a priority for the last 4 or 5 years.
Dusting things off, and putting things back together. I have a 20G Electric Herms setup.
I purchased 2 Steelhead (rebranded, verified with TopsFlo) in 2016. I installed them in 2018, replacing
my March pumps. Used them twice. I always cleaned them (PBW), rinsed and sanitized with Starsan, followed by
a few minutes under a vacuum to remove residual water. Never have I ever removed the head to clean
these, or my March Pumps, maybe mistakenly...
Upon setting things back up, fired up the pumps and to my surprise nothing. Proceeded to take them apart and
to my surprise I find "rust". It appears the thrust washer (stainless) rusted. I contacted Northern Brewer (place purchased from)
and was told that the rust was my fault. Was further instructed that after "each" brew day I should "completely"
disassemble, clean and let dry before reassembling. I contacted Topsflow and they confirmed the pumps were rebranded.
I shared with them the concern about the rust, and asked if I could by a new head, or minimally the impeller and was told
that they do not sell parts and that I could purchase a new pump.
I wanted to share my experience with Topsflow pumps, and encourage anyone using them to check the status of your pumps.
I have since replaced these with Riptides.
Dusting things off, and putting things back together. I have a 20G Electric Herms setup.
I purchased 2 Steelhead (rebranded, verified with TopsFlo) in 2016. I installed them in 2018, replacing
my March pumps. Used them twice. I always cleaned them (PBW), rinsed and sanitized with Starsan, followed by
a few minutes under a vacuum to remove residual water. Never have I ever removed the head to clean
these, or my March Pumps, maybe mistakenly...
Upon setting things back up, fired up the pumps and to my surprise nothing. Proceeded to take them apart and
to my surprise I find "rust". It appears the thrust washer (stainless) rusted. I contacted Northern Brewer (place purchased from)
and was told that the rust was my fault. Was further instructed that after "each" brew day I should "completely"
disassemble, clean and let dry before reassembling. I contacted Topsflow and they confirmed the pumps were rebranded.
I shared with them the concern about the rust, and asked if I could by a new head, or minimally the impeller and was told
that they do not sell parts and that I could purchase a new pump.
I wanted to share my experience with Topsflow pumps, and encourage anyone using them to check the status of your pumps.
I have since replaced these with Riptides.