I'm looking at adding a silence kit to quiet down my waterpump some. The kits sell for about 25 bucks, Being the Frugal Mcdoogle I am I thought I'd ask what you have done that might be cheaper. A penny saved is a penny saved! :))
I just redid the pump bay (Thanks Chuck for the inspiration). Poly is gone, all new Pex,pump,silence kit,valves,accumulator gone. Silence kit did help. ^.^d
Buy the kit. It fits perfect, installs in minutes, does the job. You'll waste hours of your valuable time running around trying to save a few bucks.
What is in a silence kit?
Thanks,
Trent
Amazon.com: SHURFLO 94-591-01 Pump Silencing Kit: Automotive (http://www.amazon.com/SHURFLO-94-591-01-Pump-Silencing-Kit/dp/B000WN5F96)
Thanks,
That explains why I could not see any insulation in the pictures.
Trent
We have that in our coach, a re-do by PO. No question, a huge improvement of previous! ^.^d
Interesting. I would also like to silence our water pump, but just by "two 30 Inches hoses with" ( Which one can also get these from a local hardware store ) " two 1/2 Inches x 1/2 Inches NPT-Male pipe nipples " what is a "NTP" and i wonder if it is the "silencer"
The hardware store hose id is 3/8 I think these are 1/2. I looked yesterday thats why I posted.
NPT is National Pipe Tapered, this is the thread type (gets tighter and seals as you turn it). The silencing is accomplished by connecting the pump using flex tubing instead of rigid tubing.
Silence kit is two non-rigid hoses with 1/2" plastic connectors that usually will not damage plastic pump threads. Silence comes from not resonating pump noise via rigid connections.
" Quote M leary "We have that in our coach, a re-do by PO. No question, a huge improvement of previous"
Curious Mike if this was done prior to your purchase how do you feel it is a huge improvement, and I believe this is your 1st FT too.?
I know it does make a difference even though I have not done it, just by the pure technical side of fixed vs flexible.
JohnH
Our water pump connections are combination flex tubing and rigid, it is loud :-(
I think i need a water pump accumulator tank like our previous FT.
Al
In my experience a tank will only help with noise because the pump is not running until the pressure in the tank drops to the cut out point. Then the pump turns on and you will hear it until the pressure builds in the tank. I replaced my tank in 2015 and still hear the pump when it turns on. Adding a silence kit is on my round tuit list.
Correct me if I'm wrong, I believe a loop in the flexible hose is the key. Look at the two installation photos in the above posts. Both show loops in the hoses from the pump to the rigid water lines.
Ed,
"In my experience a tank will only help with noise because the pump is not running until the pressure in the tank drops to the cut out point. " this is true. On our previous FT U225 the water pump was under the Couch. It was loud. From a local hardware store I added flex tube and also installed a newer model water pump. It already had the accumulator tank. It become quiet as a whisper. It no longer woke us up at night when one of us had to use water.
On our current FT U295, the water pump is located "outside" relative to previous one in the living area, located in the storage bay where the water distribution manifold located, yet it is loud enough that it bothers us inside when used, especially at night.
Last year I asked FT to do something about it, add a accumulator tank or something. They added some rubber cushioning, that did not do much. I think i may install a new water pump and the accumulator tank, little delay will help. I might also add to extend the flex tube that is already installed.
Thank you,
AL
I knew some smarty pants would spot that; both our Airstreams had Shurflo systems which were obnoxious loud. My copious files show the PO (prolly Brett)," replaced the accumulator, set pressure=23psi (2 psi less than pump cut-in pressure as per Shurflo)."
It looks like at the same time period (02) the pump was replaced. Here you go, I found it: "Plumb with flex hose." That system is so quiet (under my couch), that it's easy to leave it on! ^.^d
I'm about to install a strainer and the pump silencer hoses, both on order, but I have a simple question. For those that have done it, did you mount the pump to the floor of your compartment or leave it un-mounted? If you did mount it, do you have enough clearance to remove the strainer bowl for cleaning without removing the pump? If you didn't mount it, does it vibrate while its running?
Hi bdale,
Others will shun me for suggesting this, but I figure that by mounting the water pump to the floor you increase the chance of vibration. So I let my pump just sit on a piece of foam rubber and be stabilized by the silence kit hoses that surround it.
Jim
2002 U320
I like that better than poking new holes in the floor. Maybe a piece of foam garage floor mat, cut to fit the space. I'll probably try that. Thanks.
Bdale,
You want very soft foam.
Jim
Have tired it both ways. Have found the rubber mounting feet that come with the pumps to be very effective at minimizing vibration.
It is the hard pipes that really set up "speakers". That is why the isolation kits are so effective.
I would be a bit concerned with that heavy pump moving around over our fine roads. Can see a much higher incident of water leaks on connections with a pump "free to move about".
If you feel strongly about not drilling new holes, mount the pump on wood or better a non-absorbent piece of plastic, lexan ,etc. Then glue it to the basement floor.
Valid point. I'm actually not overly concerned with the noise issue anyway. I don't find our pump to be loud or offensive, even with the hard piping. My reason for adding the silencer kit was really as a way to use the strainer without re-piping. The flexible hoses in the kit will let me spin the pump around and move it forward to improve access to the strainer. I don't mind screwing it to the floor as long as the clearance is enough to remove the strainer cup for cleaning. I'm betting it was designed to work that way but I can't tell for sure from the pictures I've seen.
I compromised - used 2 screws to keep the pump in position - left rear and right front. Only tightened them down enough to keep the pump from sliding around - did not compress the rubber feet. One of them reused a hole from old pump - I filled the rest of the old holes with caulk.
Chuck,
Only suggestion is to get some soft (like free packing) foam to isolate the hoses from hard items. I slice it up and fit it over the hoses.
We have changed our water pump several times and never mount it. We do have it cable-tied down to a carved out Styrofoam block. With little room to move about, the pump is just fine, and with the long flexible in & out hoses, the pump is easy to pull out of its small compartment and adjust, clean, tighten, replace etc. And our coaches don't move about much, as demonstrated by leaving something on the table, or leaving the coolant overflow cap on top of the coolant pressure box and after a trip finding these misplaced items just we left them.