Air Compressor and Air Diaphragm Pump Reccomendations

[RyeWater]

I have just started researching pumps and after talking with several distillers it seems the compressed air is the way to go. I will need a pump for moving mash from my 500g fermenters to the still as well as a pump to move various high proof alcohols.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what size compressor would be needed to handle this kind of load and what pumps would be good to have for moving mash and high proof alcohols

http://www.yamadapump.com/ndp-series/NDP-15/ - this is one that Ive seen people say is good for high proofs.

Thanks

[leftturndistilling]

For Spirits I prefer to use a stainless pump with Teflon internals... I use an NDP-15 in that configuration but it uses a lot of air (apx 6 cfm), my 40 gallon compressor has a hard time keeping up with it .. I also have a 1-1/2" mash pump made by Wilden that I cant provide enough air to ... I will be adding a screw compressor soon .. If you have the money a Waukesha positive displacement lobe pump is an excellent choice....

[Silk City Distillers]

Surprised your 40 gal can't keep up with the NDP-15. I have a small roller 2hp 4cfm@90psi finish nailer compressor that seems to do a respectable job on my similarly sized ARO 1/2" pump. It doesn't push it to 13gpm, but gets it more than halfway there for sure. The one thing about running these things slow is that the pulsation is wicked, so I've been keeping my eye out for a small sanitary pulsation dampener. I'm sure running it at full speed probably smooths things out a bit too.

We ultimately decided to just bite the bullet on a positive displacement pump for moving mash, a deal presented itself on a pump that couldn't be passed up, so now we've got a 300 pound monster that could probably pump oatmeal or peanut butter if we needed it to. The pump head and drive are Viking, amazed at the build quality, it's like a swiss watch on the inside, the motor is a 3hp Siemens explosion proof. I believe it's a touch bigger than a Waukesha U60, but geared to run about half speed with a smaller motor.

[bluestar]

My 60 gal compressor barely keeps up. But there is a breakpoint in price there. If I could afford it, I would have gone to something 2-3x the size.