Quiet pump recommendations..

[rcy]

My pump, a Hayward Tri-Star 1.85hp single speed, is only three years old and works fine, but I find it loud. However, I have nothing to compare it to, as this is our first pool. Can anyone recommend a pump that is extremely quiet? A two speed is no good to me as I have solar heat and need the pump to run on high all the time (all the time the solar is on anyway), unless I can program it somehow to run on low speed when the solar is off.

Thanks.

 

[mas985]

Assuming nothing is wrong with the pump, then noise is usually due to water velocity and probably any pump of the same size would end up being noisy. It is a combination of pump size and plumbing size plus the return side plumbing vs the suction side plumbing head loss that will dictate how noisy the plumbing will be.

Do you find that the noise goes down when the solar kicks on? Also, do you have any air in the pump basket? Also, what size is your plumbing?

One of least expensive options would be to replace the impeller with a lower HP rated version. The Tri-Star comes in a 3/4 HP as well as 1/2 HP. I use to have a 1 HP Northstar when I replaced the impeller with a 1/2 HP and I am still able to run the solar panels on about a 25' roof. The power consumption dropped close to 50% with just the impeller change. I also changed the motor to a two speed but that is optional. Just by slowing down the water in the plumbing some can have a big impact on noise not to mention energy use.

 

[rcy]

Thanks for the answer. Lots of good info. The plumbing is 2" all over. No air in the basket. I don't notice any difference when the solar is on or off (although the filter gauge goes from 22psi to 27psi when the solar comes on). The first couple weeks we had the pool (summer 2007) the brand new pump started squealing extremely loudly and it was a bad bearing. The entire pump was replaced under warranty. The loudness I don't like is nothing like that, so I'm assuming the pump is fine. It's just a humming/droning noise that I find irritating.

 

[mas985]

What you are describing sound more like motor vibration than water velocity. Water velocity sounds more like rushing water than humming. If the motor is vibrating, then you might just try isolating the motor from the pad. The pump might have a slightly imbalanced impeller which can cause annoying vibrations and can resonate with the plumbing amplifying the sound. A rubber pad or feet under the pump can sometimes help.

 

[Guest]

Simicrintz has a Hybrid X2 and the drive fan is louder than the pump running @ 2300 rpms

 

[rcy]

What you are describing sound more like motor vibration than water velocity. Water velocity sounds more like rushing water than humming. If the motor is vibrating, then you might just try isolating the motor from the pad. The pump might have a slightly imbalanced impeller which can cause annoying vibrations and can resonate with the plumbing amplifying the sound. A rubber pad or feet under the pump can sometimes help.

Thanks, I'll try some sort of rubber under the pump. Definitely not a rushing water sound. The pad itself is poured concrete, on top of really dense clay. The combination must transfer sound quite well, because I can hear the humming underwater when I'm in the pool as well.