siskiou Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Can anyone recommend some affordable soundproofing materials I could use on my stand. Something "peel and stick"? I'm pretty sensitive to noise and the buzzing of all the pumps in the sump is driving me crazy. Each of the pumps by itself isn't so bad, but added together... The loudest one is the mag7 on the recirc skimmer, next in line is the gen-x for the chiller (feeding it directly from the drain didn't work too well. It really slowed down the overflow). And even the eheim return pump produces a distinct hum. All of that added together is making me wish for a remote sump (impossible in our tiny house). (sad) I can't afford to try out different pumps. So soundproofing is my only hope! (plotting) Or can someone think of a way to cut down on pumps somehow? Would running the return as an internal instead of external possibly help? I might be able to get something to replace the mag7, but I don't think I'll find anything quieter to replace the eheim 1262 with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefgeek84 Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 This is what I used on my old stand... It comes in a peel and stick application... http://www.soundprooffoam.com/quiet-barrier.html No true sound proof material is cheap. I know Joel has some left over from his tank, cause he went the same route as this...You might talk to him about seeing if he has any left over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 19, 2007 Author Share Posted June 19, 2007 So, nothing like styrofoam sheets or other stuff available locally would be worth trying? I was afraid of that! Did the stuff work well for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefgeek84 Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 So, nothing like styrofoam sheets or other stuff available locally would be worth trying? I was afraid of that! Did the stuff work well for you? I mean Styrofoam will of course help, even foam will help and is better then nothing and cheaper... The doors on my stand were open alot, so I could not give you a really good idea if it helped alot or not... I would also think you need to lay it down on the bottom as well to try and quite the pump vibrating against the bottom of the stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister crabs Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 an open cell foam similar to what is in sofa cushions will deaden sound better than rigid styrofoam. or better yet use both. if you want it free try a furniture store like Rifes or McMahons. most of the furniture that comes in anymore is packaged in loads of both types of foam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Rubber mousepad under the mag7, foam under sump. Is the gen-x external? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriswaters Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 I used a piece of marine grade rubber under the mag seven....Mostly, I hear the cascade of water from the overflows, which isn't bad at all... I built a seven hundred gallon pond last year. I included a waterfall to hear the relaxing sounds of moving water.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 I have a camping mat (the blue stuff from Walmart) under the sump and the external Eheim. The gen-x is not external. The stand seems to amplify the humming of the pumps (to *my* ears, at least). I'm super sensitive, and my hearing is extremely acute. My husband and daughter aren't bothered at all. I'll try some stuff from the furniture store (thanks for the tip, mister crabs) and see what happens. My overflows are almost silent, so no worries there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Dynamat is used to dampen vibrations in car stereo applications. Its a peel and stick type of matting. Might be worth a shot. kriswaters - a 700 gal pond!?!?!?! Thats huge, must be great in the summer though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitterbait Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 go to target and get a egg-crate style foam mattress and staple it to the walls of the stand. it works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjdog Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 In my quest for the quiet tank, I have made some mods, but still have some challenges, so I thought I might resurrect this thread First I made some mods to the plumbing. The "Herbie" overflow silencer is INCREDIBLE! I went from the re-filling toilet/waterfall sound of the durso to absolute silence (on the water side). Now, the next challenge is the return and skimmer pumps. I have a gen-x 2400 on the return and a octopus (similar to the ocean runner) on the skimmer. Both are somewhat noisy, but the gen-x is much worse. The soundproofing (indoor/outdoor carpeting and camp mat) on the inside of the stand drowns out the higher pitched sounds, but there is a low pitched hum that fills the entire livingroom. The stand actually vibrates slightly and I think it might be actually transmitting the sound right into the room. Is there anything that can be done to isolate the sound/vibration or do I just need to suck it up? I have heard that putting a mouse pad under the pump helps, but I am skeptical and worry about the safety of putting non-silicone rubber products into a reef tank. I have even considered removing the pump and encasing the entire housing in a layer of silicone (except the intake of course). HELP!!!! Any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mbeef61 Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 i second dynamat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jptrson Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 I used the pink foam pads, worked great on the sound but rasied the temp by 9 degrees. So keep an eye on your temps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjdog Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Can this be applied directly to the outside of the sump? I think at this point its either that or move the sump to the garage and pipe through the wall. The noise is pretty annoying. AARGH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjdog Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 OOPS in my last post, I meant the dynamat. What is the pink foam and where might you get it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefgeek84 Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 This is what I used on my old stand... It comes in a peel and stick application... http://www.soundprooffoam.com/quiet-barrier.html No true sound proof material is cheap. I know Joel has some left over from his tank, cause he went the same route as this...You might talk to him about seeing if he has any left over. Again this is what I recommend, would probably be cheaper then dynamat, or close to the same price...This stuff works killer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20cooled Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Also at Home Depot and Lowes the have sound board (look in the sheetrock plywood area), it comes in 4'x8' sheets and is only around $8 a sheet, I used it in my walls for my fish room to kill the noise to the outside. It makes a HUGE difference and the room is amazingly quiet now. The board is not a self stick type but you could screw it into the inside of your stand and it would help. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jptrson Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 OOPS in my last post' date=' I meant the dynamat. What is the pink foam and where might you get it?[/quote'] The pink foam is pretty much like the egg crate foam just flat. Got it at fred Meyers. Ended up putting it against the wall behind the tank... not as quiet, but stops the echo effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjdog Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 I called Hear No Evil about using dynamat. He did not think I would get really good results. Has anyone actually used it to quiet a submersible pump in a sump? He did think I would be able to attach it to the outside of the sump because it is waterproof. It's not cheap, so I want to make sure I'm going to be satisfied with the results. Some other options I am considering: 1. buying another return pump - I still think I might be fighting the battle against noise with everything except maybe an eheim, but those are really expensive and the 1260 would not fit in my sump. 2. going with a smaller/quieter return pump (such as my aquaclear 70 powerhead) with additional smaller powerheads in the display. 3. poking some holes in the wall and moving the sump to the garage - would require major plumbing rework and would have possible temperature control issues. Also, the garage is the workshop, so possible dust/fume issues as well. Seems pretty extreme. I'm pretty sure I don't want to put up with the sound. It really is annoying. I'm probably being a big baby about it, but I envision this tank being a relaxing environment where I can sit and relax, not the same as a stressful noisy appliance! Any opinions are appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefgeek84 Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 I called Hear No Evil about using dynamat. He did not think I would get really good results. Has anyone actually used it to quiet a submersible pump in a sump? He did think I would be able to attach it to the outside of the sump because it is waterproof. It's not cheap, so I want to make sure I'm going to be satisfied with the results. Some other options I am considering: 1. buying another return pump - I still think I might be fighting the battle against noise with everything except maybe an eheim, but those are really expensive and the 1260 would not fit in my sump. 2. going with a smaller/quieter return pump (such as my aquaclear 70 powerhead) with additional smaller powerheads in the display. 3. poking some holes in the wall and moving the sump to the garage - would require major plumbing rework and would have possible temperature control issues. Also, the garage is the workshop, so possible dust/fume issues as well. Seems pretty extreme. I'm pretty sure I don't want to put up with the sound. It really is annoying. I'm probably being a big baby about it, but I envision this tank being a relaxing environment where I can sit and relax, not the same as a stressful noisy appliance! Any opinions are appreciated. Well, if you have a pump that is submirsible and you have it in the sump and it is just laying on the bottom of the sump, you are having vibrating plastic against the acrylic, that is of course going to be loud and noisy...If you found a piece of rubber, that would not leach anything into the water and set that under it, it might cut down on it alot...also if you put some foam under the sump, that might help and then lined the stand with foam you might yield some really good results, the foam is not that expensive and worth it, before you start buying a new pump or cutting holes in your wall... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjdog Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 The pump is suspended about a cm off the bottom by the vinyl tubing on the return line. It does not touch the side or bottom at any point (and you are right that when it does touch the side the noise is louder). I have a camp mat and two layers of thick indoor/outdoor carpet with rubber backing below the sump (probably 3/4" total). I will try the foam egg crate stuff and report back. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefgeek84 Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 The pump is suspended about a cm off the bottom by the vinyl tubing on the return line. It does not touch the side or bottom at any point (and you are right that when it does touch the side the noise is louder). I have a camp mat and two layers of thick indoor/outdoor carpet with rubber backing below the sump (probably 3/4" total). I will try the foam egg crate stuff and report back. Thanks. Then it could be the pump, but you have to understand that a tank is going to make noise, just how it works out...but I am willing to bet the foam inside the stand will help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjdog Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 Well, the open cell egg crate foam (not the pink version) pretty much did nothing to cut the noise. Maybe cut it by 10% or so, but not enough to deal with the hassle of moving it every time I want to do something underneath. Maybe I'll try the dynamat. Just to give a relative comparison, I was standing at the dishwasher while it was running last night and I could still hear the pumps from the tank 25 feet away over the dishwasher noise. We've got a pretty quiet dishwasher, but still... :(. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted November 11, 2007 Author Share Posted November 11, 2007 Could you borrow another pump to see if something is wrong with your's, before buying a new pump? Hearing it over the dishwasher from 25 feet away sounds pretty extreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjdog Posted November 11, 2007 Share Posted November 11, 2007 I hooked up an old 2000 l/h powerhead yesterday and it was quieter, but the flow was also lower. You could still hear the combo of the pump and skimmer pump pretty easily. I've got dynamat on order from amazon.com. I'm also planning to replace all hard line on the return with vinyl. When it gets here I'll let folks know if it makes a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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