Silent Potable Water Pump?

My potable water pump is in the ER, but can be heard throughout the boat. Especially in the forward cabin, where guests sleep.

Every late-night trip to the head, or morning shave, wakes up the guests. Forget about taking a shower until everyone's awake.

I've un-mounted the pump from the ER sole, and stuffed a doubled-over heavy rubber mat under it to see what effect that might have. Very little, as it turned out.

I can relocate the pump nearer the water tank under our master berth. We'd sleep right through it, but I wonder if anyone makes a quiet pump.

I'm open to other ideas.

Rubber hose vs "hard" tubing on inlet / outlet helps but it "sounds" like your pump alone is noisy.
Relocation may be the best solution.
Soft mount, soft hose, accumulator tank might be worthwile adds when relocating.

There's this one. X-Caliber-12-24 DC Water Pressure Pump| Headhunter Inc.
They are centrifugal pumps and a bit expensive. I don't own one but they are supposedly quiet.

Thanks, I thought about soft hoses. It's already all PEX, and I was wondering how much difference that might make. Certainly an easy fix to try out, just have to make up some short pieces.

CaptTom said:

My potable water pump is in the ER, but can be heard throughout the boat. Especially in the forward cabin, where guests sleep.

Every late-night trip to the head, or morning shave, wakes up the guests. Forget about taking a shower until everyone's awake.

I've un-mounted the pump from the ER sole, and stuffed a doubled-over heavy rubber mat under it to see what effect that might have. Very little, as it turned out.

I can relocate the pump nearer the water tank under our master berth. We'd sleep right through it, but I wonder if anyone makes a quiet pump.

I'm open to other ideas.

Click to expand...

None are silent, but the Headhunter pump is as close as you can get. With the ER door closed, we can't hear it at all and it is right next to the door.

$1200!!! That's a bit silly, don't you think?

Enclose your pump in a wooden box with inside covered with sound insulation, and mount it on soft rubber feet, for 10$ yo will reduce the noise enough that you should not notice it pretty much.

L

The newer pumps with 4 or 5 diaphram chambers are much quieter.

I wish my salt water washdown was noisier so I could tell it is air locked and running over time.

CaptTom said:

Thanks, I thought about soft hoses. It's already all PEX, and I was wondering how much difference that might make. Certainly an easy fix to try out, just have to make up some short pieces.

Click to expand...

Adding an accumulator helped quiet mine significantly. Pretty reasonably priced if searched online. I added a "Seaflo" brand last time I replaced my freshwater pump.

Xsbank said:

$1200!!! That's a bit silly, don't you think?

Click to expand...

To each his own. I'm fairly certain a sizable portion of the population would think what we spent for our boats was silly too.

Edit; Every cruiser's report I've seen says they are REALLY quiet. Silence, in this case, is priced like it really is golden.

I have a similar noise problem that I haven't taken the time to track down. In my case the pump along with an accumulator is in the ER but the noise is in the aft cabin near one of the water tanks. I suspect the noise is from a pipe that is not fastened down well enough. Another thought I've had is that the accumulator needs to be looked at. Google "water hammer" and see if that might be the issue. There are a lot of products available to reduce water hammer for homes.

If you do buy an accumulator, buy it from an irrigation shop for peanuts or buy the same thing from a marine store (identical) for hundreds. Then you could afford the pump...

You might try another mounting option. Our water and vacuum pumps are mounted on hose. That and the newer pumps as psneeld mentioned, might make the difference. When we redid the engine (picture), we also used soft hose from the copper to the pump. The only way we now know the pump is on is by looking at the led pump indicator light.

Greetings,
Mr. LM. Now THAT is one humdinger, jim dandy, by cracky, holy shat idea! THANKS!

Larry M said:

You might try another mounting option. Our water and vacuum pumps are mounted on hose.

Click to expand...

Now THAT's a great idea!!

I have lots of short hose scraps laying around anyway. I'm going to give that a shot, along with sections of hose before the PEX plumbing.

Thanks!!

Larry M said:

You might try another mounting option. Our water and vacuum pumps are mounted on hose. That and the newer pumps as psneeld mentioned, might make the difference. When we redid the engine (picture), we also used soft hose from the copper to the pump. The only way we now know the pump is on is by looking at the led pump indicator light.

Click to expand...

Mine is also mounted on hose, though I used black rubber 1/2" hose on its side. Quite a bit softer than what Larry used.
An accumulator also has enough volume to eliminate the pump cycling during the night, provided you make sure it has cycled before everyone goes to sleep.

Just for the sake of exploring the issue:

I just had a freshwater crisis to which I was alerted by being repeatedly awakened by the paired sounds of freshwater accumulator and bilge pump in the night. (More detail in the current Alaska thread)

Silence is not always golden.

I use a solution similar to Larry's with the difference in that I like to use silicone hose because I find it to be more resilient, thus more effective.

As regards the pump noise, the pump itself probably isn't that noisy, it's the piping that's transmitting the noise throughout the boat. The piping is filled with water, and we all know how well sound travels through water. The straighter the line, the more direct the transmission of the vibration set up by the concussion of the diaphragm action. That's why you hear it clearly in the other end of the boat.

If you can mix up the direction close to the source, it will help in diminishing the transmission. Use as flexible a hose as you can close to the pump, keep it long enough to make a full circle loop, and don't attach it directly to a solid surface. Both inlet/outlet. I've used 3/4" braided washing machine hoses; pretty robust, easy to fit, suitable for potable water, readily available in varying lengths, and large enough not to create a pressure drop problem. The loop will help dissipate the straight-line transmission, the flexible hose will convert the straight line pulses from the length to the circumference, e.g. the hose diameter will absorb some of the pulsing. If you're using PEX, it's probably amplifying the noise, you need to attenuate it close to the source.
There are commercially available equipment mounting vibration isolators that aren't terribly expensive. They're made in almost any configuration you could imagine. I use the small ones for small motors/pumps. The silicone ones are very "squishy" and provide lots of attenuation. I used them to mount the A/C unit located under our berth. Pretty amazing the reduction in sound from just those little isolators. My watermaker membrane was transmitting a huge amount of vibration into the mounting structure, a few small isolators knocked the vibration down from annoying as hell to barely discernable. Well worth the effort to implement. One tip- match the rating of the isolator as closely as possible to the weight of the equipment. Too heavy and it's not going to be effective. It needs to be able to flex to do its job.

Hose mounting is a great idea.
Larry's looks like sanitation hose and pretty stiff. The soft vinyl or rubber (without reinforcing) is even better.
Same idea works well for blower motors.

"Silence is not always golden."


Especially in an offshore boat.

FF said:

"Silence is not always golden."


Especially in an offshore boat.

Click to expand...

Not just offshore boats....

I prefer a hum or slight wizz from all equipment so I can stay on top of operation and malfunctions.of all gear.

If I hear the pump cycling I start looking for a leak or open tap.

I totally agree that I'd prefer to know when the pump is cycling.

Still, every guest aboard has been woken up by the water pump. I really should do something.

I actually tried manufactured vibration mounts once. Didn't make a huge difference, possibly because they were made for a much heavier device. Pumps are pretty light.

Hadn't thought of making the hose connection in a 360-degree loop. Sounds like a good idea, and it can only make installation and maintenance easier.

I would not have guessed it, but when I bought my new salt water washdown pump, it advertised being more quiet due to the additional chambers....boy is it.

I have trouble hearing it. It is screwed directly to a wooden shelf that should actually amplify sound and is directly connected to pex without flex tubing or loops.

Maybe it's just me or that model.....but I am ovetly impressed with how quiet it is.

Shurflo Blaster III.....not a "great" washdown pump as the pressure is a bit low, but perfect for flushing the heads.

psneeld said:

I would not have guessed it, but when I bought my new salt water washdown pump, it advertised being more quiet due to the additional chambers....boy is it.

I have trouble hearing it. It is screwed directly to a wooden shelf that should actually amplify sound and is directly connected to pex without flex tubing or loops.

Maybe it's just me or that model.....but I am ovetly impressed with how quiet it is.

Shurflo Blaster III.....not a "great" washdown pump as the pressure is a bit low, but perfect for flushing the heads.

Click to expand...

I recently installed the Aqua King II 4 GPM model. Pump head looks identical. Good service so far but it's low mileage at this point.

AlaskaProf said:

I just had a freshwater crisis to which I was alerted by being repeatedly awakened by the paired sounds of freshwater accumulator and bilge pump in the night. (More detail in the current Alaska thread)

Click to expand...

That was a Major concern when I was growing up. On our 40'er and now on Seaweed, the pressure water system is shut down except when being used. Aboard Seaweed I have installed a hand pump at the galley sink.

Of course this won't address the OP and silence, especially with guests. Just floating it out there for others who may be reading the thread.

psneeld said:

I prefer a hum or slight wizz from all equipment so I can stay on top of operation and malfunctions.of all gear.

Click to expand...

Mine sometimes runs on if I don't turn on the tap far "enough" which varies of course. Trickles irritate my pump because I do not have an accumulator tank. I can hear my pump though. Usually running another cup of water out at full blast will cause the pump to shut off properly when I close the spigot.

HiDHo said:

If I hear the pump cycling I start looking for a leak or open tap.

Click to expand...

Another thing to add to your maintenance is to check/tighten your hose clamps. I do that at the changing of the seasons, unless I get that pump running.



Just posted today is a "how to save water when doing dishes" article in case you're interested:
Washing Dishes and Saving Water article on janice142

(with apologies for wandering off Silent pumps, though a hand pump should be totally quiet if it is just you and the missus)

Janice, I've actually considered the hand pump idea. Right now I just use a jug of water next to the sink in the master head for late-night hand washing, which is a lot easier than running hoses and cutting holes in the countertop. But maybe one day.

No need to apologize about thread drift. I'll even join in on your washing dishes discussion...

Another tip to keeping the galley dish scrubber from getting that nasty mildew smell is vinegar. Lasts longer than microwaving, especially if it's to be left unused for a while. Vinegar is also rumored to help keep deposits from developing in the waste plumbing. Good to keep a gallon jug or two on board.

Larry M said:

You might try another mounting option. Our water and vacuum pumps are mounted on hose. That and the newer pumps as psneeld mentioned, might make the difference. When we redid the engine (picture), we also used soft hose from the copper to the pump. The only way we now know the pump is on is by looking at the led pump indicator light.

Click to expand...

Identical pump to our vetus.
Says in the instructions to mount vertically, tails at the top.
We simply used soft rubber (old thongs cut to shape) and longer screws to go through it

"Aboard Seaweed I have installed a hand pump at the galley sink."

Hand pumps are Ok, but a PIS when washing dishes or hands.

The foot pump solves the problem .There are both under floor and on floor styles made.

Use one of each if sea water rinses are part of your FW savings plan.

So your foot knows which its pumping.

Headhunter caliber, pricey but perfect