March Pumps and Hops

[squirt in the turns]

I've decided to come over to the dark side: chilling. After a bit of deliberation, I've settled on a whirlpool immersion chiller, with a March pump driving the whirlpool. So my question is: can these pumps handle bits of hops passing through them? What about whole cones/flowers?

I've always just chucked pellets or flowers directly into the boil, and just let everything settle before running to the cube, so would like to be able to be able to continue that practice. If it's not advisable, presumably a Bazooka screen is a good option? I'd prefer that to a hopsock.

A big advantage, as I see it, of being able to pump the hop debris is that it (along with break material, etc) would get picked up from the edge of the kettle and deposited inside the chiller coil, aiding the formation of a stable trub cone, that otherwise might be impeded by the presense of the chiller on the base of the kettle.

[bilgerat]

The pump can handle bits of hops etc.
Before pumping from my kettle to the chiller I whirlpool the brew with a laddle, then after a few minutes most of the trub has settled in the centre and I draw off to the pump via a circular suction pipe that runs around the outer edge of the bottom of the kettle, this pipe has holes drilled in it that acts as a strainer so most of the liquid being sucked out doesnt have a lot of floating bits in it.I can post a photo if required.
I have my chiller coil sitting an esky of ice and I just regulate the outlet valve on the pump to a nice even flow to maintain a contstant temperature into the fermenter.
Once I have finished pumping the wort into the fermenter I flush the chiller coil through with hot water and a dose of tricleanium then flush with cold water.
The main hassle with this pump is it is not self priming so you have to make sure there is no air in any of you hoses etc.

[squirt in the turns]

Cheers bilgerat. I wouldn't mind a pic of your circular pickup pipe if that's the easiest way to answer my questions. Is it copper (a section of soft coil)? How have you attached it to the tap/valve?