Tips on Quieting a Loud Pump

[nathansinger]

I just looked at an aquarium in the house one of my friends moved into and it's incredibly loud. The tank is a custom size that works out to about 380 gallons and has a Gen-X PCX150 pump rated at 2250 gph. The pump itself vibrates a ton and is placed directly on some tile in a little compartment connected to the outside of the house, so there is a wall between the pump and the room the tank is in. What would be the best material to place the pump on for dampening the vibration - I was thinking either rubber or styrofoam. The overflows also make a really loud water rushing sound, but the tank is situated such that you can't reach to the bottom of the overflow to install a drain pipe. I'm going to cover the holes in the top of the tank with some thick plexiglass, but is there any other way to lessen the noise?

Thanks!

 

[Billybeau1]

Try a mouse pad. Also make sure there is no stress on the inlet of the pump.

 

[crumbletop]

Sounds like you need some kind of drain pipe setup in the overflows. A durso setup dramatically lessens the noise of the overflow by reducing the distance the water has to fall, as well as quieting the water flowing into the pipe.

http://www.rl180reef.com/180/pages/standpipe/open.htm

Jack

 

[Andy O]

Try Dynamat. The stuff that they use to dampen the sound in car audio installations. It is not cheap but works well.