Noisy fresh water pump

[wiggy]

having just upgraded my water system to pressurised my wife now complains that the pump is noisy an nay wake the kids up. At present it is mounted on the inside surface of the forward facing surface of the undersink space /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif This panel seems to resonate when the pump is used despit ehte rubber feet of the pump. My ideas so far are i) to bond a sheet of ply to the inside surface to stiffen it up or ii) fix the pump to a sheet of ply the glue neoprene to this and then glue the neoprene to the GRP surface. Any thought would be much appreciated.

 

[oldsaltoz]

Both my pumps are floor mounted, very little noise. Alternatively you could turn the pump off overnight or when not in use.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[whipper_snapper]

Not a direct answer, but I have 2 identical Jabsco pumps. 1 mounted on a small stiff wooden shelf is almost completely silent. The other, mounted on a larger thinner sheet of ply makes enough noise to wake the dead - but that's OK as it is the fresh water pump and I want everyone to know that someone is wasting fresh water!.


I know of one boat in which the water pumps are not rigidly mounted but suspended from bungee. Not sure I would like to go that far, but they are quiet.

 

[johnalison]

Have you got an accumulator tank? The pump will run (a bit) quieter if there is one fitted and will cut in less often. I have to admit that we tend to turn the pump off at night even though as far as I can tell, there are no leaks in the system, because it sometimes gives a burst.

 

[vyv_cox]

My Shurflo pump gradually became more noisy over the years. In the end I decided that there must be some mechanical wear so I replaced the pump. Now extremely quiet. No other changes.

In your case, hold the pump when it is running to see whether the problem is due to resonance.

 

[wiggy]

Definately due to resinence, so assuming the pump cant be moved how do I stop the resinence?

 

[tcm]

Hm. I think earplugs for the wife is going to be the quick solution, and turning the pump off a lot "to save the planet" and she'll soon get used to it. Also note that you only need a few more issues like this and she will drag you off to look at new boats!

 

[whipper_snapper]

My guess is that either of your proposed solutions will help a bit, but neither will help a lot.

How about the bungee idea? My only real concern would be chaffe on the plumbing and the wiring as a result of the increased movement.

 

[vyv_cox]

Your original proposals sound OK to me. The basic cure for resonance is to change the natural frequency of the resonating body, so adding a stiffener in the form of an extra sheet of ply, probably through bolted, should solve it. Sometimes a very simple solution will work, like wedging a length of plastic pipe between the board and a solid object. Not very sound engineering but better than domestic strife.