Flojet G70 inlet/outlet questions

[HedgeBird]

Our current diaphragm pump used for spirits is hitting the end of its life, and I am looking to put a new Flojet G70 diaphram into service.  I purchased this a ways back but never got it setup as the air and liquid input/outputs are really annoying.  It seems to have a 1/4" barb for air input, and 3/4 barbs for liquid in/out.  From what I can tell there is no way to remove these barbs to replace with threaded fittings.

This means I need a 1/4" barb to standard male air hose quick connect, a short piece of 1/4" hose and two hose clamps to make this usable with our regular quick-connect fitted air hoses..  What seems like absolutely stupid arrangement.  On the liquid side I will need to go from the 3/4 barb to a 3/4 barb x 1/5" tri-clamp fitting, again using a short section of 3/4" hose and a pair of hose barbs. 

I got this unit as it seems pretty popular on these forums, so just curious if this is what everyone else is doing, or if perhaps I just a non-typical model with barb connections.  If you are using this pump, could you post a picture of it with whatever fittings you have added?

Thanks!

[Tom Lenerz]

Hey HedgeBird, we have one of these pumps attached to our Mori filler from TCW. They have the air hose going to a regulator, and the regulator has a quick disconnect on it. For the liquid side, they have two short pieces of hose, about a foot long, clamped to the pump and then tri-clamp fittings on the other side. 

[MichaelAtTCW]

Hey @HedgeBird

All the air and liquid ports on the G70 are replaceable and swappable. If you look at the ports you'll see little pull tabs that hold them in place. Flojet makes tons of different connection styles. They come to us with 3/4" barb fittings in/out, but we also stock 1/2" barb, 1/2" NPT threads, and 3/8" tube push-connect (aka John Guest).

The air inlet it is less flexible. I've only seen 1/4" barb fittings for that port. As Tom notes, the short length of hose to whatever-fitting-you-want is the best option.

It may seem like a stupid design, but Flojet's typical end user is OEMs who are going to install it into some other kind of assembly, like a beverage dispensing machine. When we first introduced the G70 into distilleries I think it took Flojet by surprise a little that they had a "hit" on their hands with the little guy, as they were marketing it towards more chemical applications.

[HedgeBird]

59 minutes ago, MichaelAtTCW said:

Hey @HedgeBird

All the air and liquid ports on the G70 are replaceable and swappable. If you look at the ports you'll see little pull tabs that hold them in place. Flojet makes tons of different connection styles. They come to us with 3/4" barb fittings in/out, but we also stock 1/2" barb, 1/2" NPT threads, and 3/8" tube push-connect (aka John Guest).

The air inlet it is less flexible. I've only seen 1/4" barb fittings for that port. As Tom notes, the short length of hose to whatever-fitting-you-want is the best option.

It may seem like a stupid design, but Flojet's typical end user is OEMs who are going to install it into some other kind of assembly, like a beverage dispensing machine. When we first introduced the G70 into distilleries I think it took Flojet by surprise a little that they had a "hit" on their hands with the little guy, as they were marketing it towards more chemical applications.

Thanks for the great info Michael!  Am I able to order 1/2 barb fittings from you guys?  Really appreciate the input.

[MichaelAtTCW]

41 minutes ago, HedgeBird said:

Thanks for the great info Michael!  Am I able to order 1/2 barb fittings from you guys?  Really appreciate the input.

Yep, they're $5.50. Are you sure you want 1/2" barb? You mentioned threaded in your original post, so that'd be the 1/2" NPT adapters rather than 1/2" barb.

These are not yet on our website, but you can give us a call at 707-963-9681 to order.

[Allan]

On 4/17/2019 at 11:39 AM, HedgeBird said:

Our current diaphragm pump used for spirits is hitting the end of its life, and I am looking to put a new Flojet G70 diaphram into service.  I purchased this a ways back but never got it setup as the air and liquid input/outputs are really annoying.  It seems to have a 1/4" barb for air input, and 3/4 barbs for liquid in/out.  From what I can tell there is no way to remove these barbs to replace with threaded fittings.

This means I need a 1/4" barb to standard male air hose quick connect, a short piece of 1/4" hose and two hose clamps to make this usable with our regular quick-connect fitted air hoses..  What seems like absolutely stupid arrangement.  On the liquid side I will need to go from the 3/4 barb to a 3/4 barb x 1/5" tri-clamp fitting, again using a short section of 3/4" hose and a pair of hose barbs. 

I got this unit as it seems pretty popular on these forums, so just curious if this is what everyone else is doing, or if perhaps I just a non-typical model with barb connections.  If you are using this pump, could you post a picture of it with whatever fittings you have added?

Thanks!

Got ya broski - #distilleryHack

Materials (excluding hose, pump, and inline filter, this is going to run you like $75-100 if you just follow the links below, you can probably shop it out and make smarter buys to cut this total cost in half. I'm not illustrating this for cost purposes, just showing what I did. Use it as a roadmap or don't...hope it helps someone save the time I wasted mapping it out for myself). 

Small dolly ($10-$20, hardware store)

length of 2x6 wood, roughly 30 inches but whatever floats your boat, I liked keeping this thing smaller and lower for portability and storage

small length of 2x8, or small piece of plywood or something to span the middle gap between the two rails of the dolly

"L" bracket - $1 or $2 from hardware store, if not cheaper.

Air regulator (I got this one for ~$40, you can get it for like $25 from amazon warehouse options...shop it around) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005JDKY68/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Sp.7Cb3E4FAF0

1/4" ball valve (for air control on/off) ...$20 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00835X4NE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
...or get a cheaper one that is male NPT - female NPT, like this, for $7, and skip the extra $3 male-male hex nipple listed below (that's what I'd do second time around, just including the original purchase because that's what's pictured in my setup): https://www.amazon.com/Lead-Free-Forged-Brass-Quarter-Female/dp/B07DHTR486/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=1%2F4+ball+valve&qid=1559238590&s=gateway&sr=8-4

1/4" hex nipple, male-male NPT (skip this if you get the cheaper male-female adapter in the second link immediately above)...$3 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003NXYB5Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 

length of 1/4" high pressure air hose ...$10 (funny, you only need 6-12 inches, but the 10 foot roll is more expensive than the 25 footer...go figure...) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXVJ63X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

A few hose clamps ...$6 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HWGMBG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 1/4" barb x 1/4" male NPT fitting ...$5 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SAO7XQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3/4" tubing for spirit inlet/outlet (take your pick, prices all over the place depending on what you're looking for)

2x (3/4") barb-to- (pick your size) tri clamp adapters. 

 

Final product in attached photos. Simple, portable, but good luck attaching the grounding wire to something appropriate. I just let it dangle. Maybe should have at the very least attached it to the 2x6 board? Not sure how "grounded" the entire assembly is through the casters anyhow...kinda seemed pointless to me but what do I know. But anyone considering this setup as a way to go should check with someone about how to properly ground the pump so you don't follow my roadmap and blow yourself up. 

 

Cheers

AD

 

[thebottle]

Many years later...I'm definitely stealing this concept.

 

Looks like the same hose is being used for the spirits so no issues with that right?

[MichaelAtTCW]

We're now making G57/G70 stands for those don't want to mess around with making one. It's more expensive than the one shown above — as long as your time has no value — but is made of stainless steel, which should make grounding more simple.

People ask us pretty regularly if it's ok to use PVC hose & tubing for high-proof transfer. This has been discussed before on the forums at least a few times. Nothing much has changed. PVC still gets "fair" ratings for ethanol resistance, meaning it is at least somewhat reactive in prolonged contact with spirits.

Compared to rubber-based compounds like UHMW, EPDM, and Butyl, PVC will degrade more rapidly. But there's no question it's cheaper. Usually about 1/4 the cost.

[Pour Decisions]

Thats a great looking setup Mike. I ended up making my own, sharing my setup.to inspire others.