Loud water pump

[ajriding]

Sometimes it is not so bad, sometimes it sounds like a machine gun.
Pump sits on homedepot purple foam board. Pump is close to tank and two elbows between.
PEX tubing going to rear is likely resting on fiberglass walls.
This is a fiberglass shell, not stick built.

I think one possibility is that is a garden pump, not an RV. You can get cheaper ones at the tool store made by Sur but those are louder.

This is camper #5 and way out of the limits of regular noise.

Im on a long trip n would like to fix this

[C_Schomer]

^^^ I've done all these things. Lately I've been putting insulation foam everywhere any part of the system touches anything else, including the pump inlet and where a line touches another line. I finally got it to where the noises are very soft and nearly unnoticeable. Craig

[mobeewan]

Another thing you can do is make sure every place the PEX or fittings touch the floor, a wall or pass through a wall or the floor that they don't touch. Add a piece of pipe insulation about 2 to 3 inches long at each spot. That will stop any pulsation of the PEX and fittings being transferred into the wall or floor as vibration.

I had a spot where PEX went through a hole at the bottom of the bathroom wall between the sink cabinet and under the bottom bunk. It touched as it passed through the hole.

I left a sponge mop leaning against that wall and the vibration between the wall and mop handle was very loud. Stuffed some padding in the hole and no more vibration.

[ajriding]

I put the HD sink braided stainless hoses on and the machine gun stopped. It is not the world's quiets pump, but pretty quiet under the compartment. There is no vibration noise anymore from the pex.

I also isolated my hot water heater by putting in two ball valves to completely turn off water supply to the heater and from the return line. Many campers already have this for winterizing so you do not have to run antifreeze through the water heater. Mine did not.
I did this because I dont bother heating water for a shower anymore. That waste so much propane and I estimate it is 28 feet from heater to shower head and a lot of water runs before hot makes it. I can capture the water so not to waste it, but lot of trouble…
I also saved 50 lbs by not driving around with a full water heater. Its a TC and heater is at the back where I do not want more weight.
Saving 50lbs is a big deal since that weight is 2 feet behind the truck bumper, and I tow a trailer on a hitch extension.

Next project is to run a water line straight from water heater to shower which should be about 5-6 feet distance, not 28. In winter I may heat the shower water. we'll see.

[RoyB]

Mine was making alot of noise too and was also installed on one of those pads... Turned out to be the metal lines that were connected to the water pump was hitting the side of the cabinets making all of the noise... Rebent the lines not to touch anything and solved my problem... It vibrates alot when running...

Roy Ken

[ajriding]

Thanks. Ill try the loop when i next can drain it

[SoundGuy]

MitchF150 wrote:
It's not the pump itself that is loud... It's the vibration that goes thru the pipes that is making the noise..

Exactly. Run any of these water pumps on a workbench and you'll barely hear it run - installed in a camper what vibration the pump does make is induced into the floor and adjacent walls of the camper and is amplified. The true solution is easy - isolate the pump itself by mounting it atop soft foam AND add a l-o-n-g length of soft braided water hose to the output, looping it and wrapping it in an old soft blanket. I did just this several years ago and the pump is so quiet in operation I had to add a light so I'd know when it was running. Pics and a video start here.

[prichardson]

Use a piece of hose between the pump and the rest of the piping on each side of the pump.

[Dave_H_M]

I would be checking everywhere for some air in the system. Outside shower, whatever.

[shastagary]

here is one discussion about pump quieting Water Pump is LOUD-Way to make it quieter?

[MitchF150]

It's not the pump itself that is loud... It's the vibration that goes thru the pipes that is making the noise..

Insulate the pipes as they come out of the pump. You can put a longer loop on the pipe that comes out of the pump to the line too, or add one of those accumulator pump tanks after the pump too.

Plus, getting all the air out of the lines helps too..

Good luck!

Mitch