what is the most silent pump

Timber77 said:
for pressure rated i used to use velocity t-4 they were very quite but i dont think they make em anymore...
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There is nothing quieter than a Velocity - also marketed under the Poseidon brand name. They sold two speeds of both pressure rated and non-pressure rated. I have two. You have to put your hand on them to know if they are on.

They are still for sale to the intrepid Googler , sold as hot tub pumps. But I dont know what brand name they are sold under now. But I do know there's a post around here at RC somewhere that has the new name. Unfortunately, more quality search time...
 
The velocitys are super quiet but also add a ton of heat.... When we had one running my brothers tank we switched from it to a QO4000 and with nothing else changing his tank temps dropped 3.5 degrees....

My 2 cents on this discussion ??? Rebuild the ones youre using now, and see if you can somehow cover them with a box or do something to minimize the vibration. For what you'll spend on new pumps you can make those work well and quiet them down some as well.
 
badazztealcobra said:
we had one running my brothers tank we switched from it to a QO4000 and with nothing else changing his tank temps dropped 3.5 degrees....
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On what sized tank? Heat retaining acrylic? Or heat shedding glass? On my acrylic 180g they are good for a 2 degree bump.

They DO add some heat. But they add no more heat than an equal wattage wet pump does. Other dry pumps shed heat better by transmission of heat to the surrounding air (at the cost of noise). Velocity pumps do a bad job of that vs. most dry pumps. But watt for watt they add no more heat than a wet pump (like Eheims).

That said, the OP was about quietest pump. Velocity/Poseidon is the answer.
 
Velocity T3 to a QO4000, 90g glass with 30L sump.... I know the watt is a watt is a watt discussion, but just giving an outlook with personal experience using a few different velocity and Poseidon pumps.

I know he asked quiet but wanted to add some to the discussion....

I used to use a T4 on my saltwater mixing station, it was great because it heated the water so no heater needed. Unfortunately if you just left it run for too long you were looking at 85+ degree temps... LOL
 
badazztealcobra said:
... I know the watt is a watt is a watt discussion, but just giving an outlook with personal experience using a few different velocity and Poseidon pumps.

I know he asked quiet but wanted to add some to the discussion....
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And IMO you are right on target for expanding the issues surrounding the OP. :thumbsup:

Not trying to give you a hard time. Just trying to ensure all the facts are on the table. :)
 
I agree the velocity is kinda like haveing a mag 12 PUMP-er heater- but they are the only pumps besides the RD that are really quiet. I cant remember the cost on my return red dragon pump but its older than my 12 year old son and has never been cleaned maintained, never touched it and its still quiet. I do have a good series of pre-filters before it hits the return pump so its not taking in snails and such from the sump Thanks for the tip about the t-4's still being still made under a different name,,, quiet enough for a bedroom
 
I've always had good luck with the Reeflo pumps... currently running 2 Darts, but one of them has developed a bit of a hum. I might have to look into what I can do to quiet it down since the wifey is now complaining. ;) Those Blowhole pumps look interesting, but I'm not sure that they would work with my plumbing configuration.
 
dja1980 said:
I've always had good luck with the Reeflo pumps... currently running 2 Darts, but one of them has developed a bit of a hum. I might have to look into what I can do to quiet it down since the wifey is now complaining. ;) Those Blowhole pumps look interesting, but I'm not sure that they would work with my plumbing configuration.
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Trade in the wifey for a quieter version ??? :lol:

I would think a rebuild would work and you can also check the impeller and everything at that time, maybe a small snail shell or something got into it ???
 
badazztealcobra said:
Trade in the wifey for a quieter version ??? :lol:
Click to expand...

I almost just spit out my coffee!!! :lmao:

Do rebuilds generally quiet these down, and how often do these normally need this? I remember when these were new, I could barely hear them (4 years ago). I did recently clean the impeller hoping that would do the trick, but no such luck (even though there was some calcium build up in there). I believe the noise is coming from the shaft... I'll have to contact Reeflo to order a kit. Unfortunately, I think I have the models that are more difficult to maintenance (non-removable fan cover).
 
dave are your darts ao smith motors or baldor motors..... just a guess here but if its ao smith its probably just needs new bearings (very cheap) if you order them do yourself a favor and get a new seal at the same time it makes putting it back together very easy....if its a baldor (a little bit better quality) still could be bearings but less likely the ao smiths seemed like they used cheap bearings from my experiences with those pumps.
 
Thanks, Tim... didn't mean to hijack the OP with my issue, but they are AO Smith motors. It looks like seals are around $50... I'll have to look into the price for bearings (didn't see those on Aquacave). Maybe I'll do a search to see what a rebuild entails... would love to see some pictures of the steps for DIY.
 
If you think it is motor related, we used to get our motors rewound and have new bearings put into them at my old job from a place out in Montgomery called Industrial Motor Service. Not sure if they're still around but they had the best pricing when we shopped around to have our 50HP motors rewound and have sealed bearings installed....

Although it may be cheaper just to sell your pump and put that money towards a new one at some point.

Also, for parts for blower motors and stuff we used this place:

http://www.dreisilker.com/

They might be able to find you the bearings if you give them the AO Smith part number....
 
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Dave- kinda OT but the origional poster has sequence pumps and might just be a bearing issue as well.. so maybe not that OT ..i only have had experience firsthand with the darts so not sure how the other models age but most likely they are similiar designs.. I thought it was like 25-30 bucks for seals and bearings and not too many beers to change it out..lol . iF memory serves ... mcmaster carr was where i got mine, its either elmhurst or melrose park, right off of 294..order online for shipping or they even have a pickup window., if you go to non fish related sites the ao smith motors are very generic and used in lots of different applications they are decent motors, i wouldnt think twice about rebuilding it, besides the bearings the motors are pretty solid.
 
Good point... to the OP, it sounds like rebuilding is probably best... I think cobra said it 1st. The 2 Darts I have running were both purchased and installed in May, 2009. I unplugged the "noisy" one last night, and I had to hold my ear up to the other one to make sure it was running. These pumps are probably still one of the most quiet on the market out of the box. And, with all the information out there, it sounds like you can keep them quiet for the long-haul if you're willing to get your hands a little dirty.

Tim, how did you figure out what parts to order from McMaster Carr? I'm up for the project... I love DIYs like this. After all, I was the kid who ruined most of my mechanical toys by taking them apart to see how they worked! Fortunately, I fix more than I break these days!

The bearings used on the thread I Googled were skateboard bearings... 10 for $11.50 shipped.

Here's the link for the seal used on the RC thread I linked to above...

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/FLOWSERVE-Mechanical-Pump-Shaft-Seal-1R317
 
I have a Dart w/ the AO smith motor. Very quiet and adjusts amp usage according to back pressure. In other words you can adjust flow to your requirements. Very efficient on the power bill. Also excellent support. My seal leaked, they sent me a new one no charge very easy to replace.
 
Dave, is there any information on the motors themselves like a frame or part or model number to go off ??? Usually with those a place like Grainger can find replacement parts, or if you list them here I can do a little digging as well...
 
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