Well I put my first batch of 25gal in my processor yesterday, turned on the heat and pump set the timer for an hour and let it get up to temp. I added the methoxide, reset the timer for an hour and watched for the color to change. It started to change so I left it alone to do it's thing and had to go to work. Went out last night when I got home and was greeted by the smell of the burnt pump motor. At first I figured I created glop and it plugged the pump and fried the motor, but there's no glop. It's a cheap Northern Tool pump that everyone seems to be using for their processors so was just curious if maybe I got a faulty pump or if it's a common thing. If it's common for these pumps to not stand up to pumping hot oil for extended periods, what affordable pumps would you suggest? I wanted to get some opinions before I order another pump. Thanks for any advice.
Mike

 

Under warrenty? Clean it up and send it back, wait til Harbor Freight has them on sale for $27.00 and buy a couple of them. I'm sure the Northern Tool pump is the exact same crap you buy at HF. You just pay more for it.

 

Actually I was wrong in my first post. the one i have that burnt up was from HF. I was looking earlier today and the pumps from HF and NT look very similar, but the NT pump flows 720gph and the HF only 330gph. I don't know if they measure their flow rates at different lift heights or what, but I went ahead and ordered a NT pump to see if it holds up any better and to hurry up and get me back up and running. I'll keep an eye on HF and take your advice and buy a couple extras when they go on sale again. As always, thanks for the advice.
Mike

 

This is why I use mechanical mixing, not pump mixing! I only have to mix for 30 min, not hours! What could have happened if that untended pump had caused a fire? NEVER leave a processor unattended!!!

 

Would it work to use one of those drill attachment mixers for 5gal paint buckets to mechanically mix with? attach it to a 1/4hp motor make a bracket to hold it in the middle of the drum and let it mix? that's how i was planning on mixing the magnasol if/when i start using it.
I didn't leave it completely unattended. I showed my girlfriend how to kill power if she suspected anything was wrong, and my buddy who is splitting costs with me, was on his way over to do some tractor work on my driveway. It still wasn't watched as good as it should have been, and in the future i'll watch it much closer due to the problem I experienced this time. I messed up and I learned and the lesson didn't cost me as much as it could've. Thanks for your input Fabman, from what i've read here, you're the BD guru so I read your posts with great interest.

 

Yes, a paint mixer will work ( that's what I use for my Methoxide mixer). I built my own bio mixer from an impeller of an old 302 ford waterpump, and a 1/4 HP motor. It's lasted 4+ years ( built Ford tough ).

 

I have used the same pump from HF on my appleseed style reactor/methanol recovery unit since June of '06 when I first started. I haven't had any problems with the pump.
I also use the same kind of pump as a transfer pump to transfer everything from hot bio from reactor to settling tank to thick glycerol into the recovery tank.
You may want to check to make sure the wire gauge you used is heavy enough. Also make sure the fan on the back of the motor is unobstructed and turns easily and is not rubbing on the cover.
Other than that maybe you just got a lemon.

 

I took a greenhouse fan, cut the blades shorter and extended the shaft so it reaches all the way down the drum, If all my measurements are right I have seen it react in 15 mins, but 30 - 45 is more normal.