What is the quietest pool pump out there?

[wayner]

We had our pool put in shortly after we moved into our house about 6-7 years ago. I have always found the pump very noisy, but one way if dealing with this was to shut it down during the day while we were using the pool. This also made sense because our electriciy utilioty (Toronto Hydro) went to TIme of Day electricity pricing so it made more sense to run at night rather than during the day.

I am now looking at putting in roof mounted solar panels for heating the pool water. That means that I should be running the pump during the day.

So what pump can I get that is as quiet as possible? Note that I did have an enclosure made in the past to quiet down the pump but that only helped a bit. If I can get a pump that is significantly quieter than I am willing to pay 2X the price.

FYI - my pool is 18'x36' and has a max depth of 8' and a shallow end of 3'. I believe it holds a little over 100,000L.

p.s. There is a web site called silentpcreview.com that exists solely to test computer components for the amount of noise the make - we need this for pool pumps as well.

 

[jblizzle]

The more water you move the louder the pump. From what I have read, many people find the big VS pumps to be louder than their old pump at higher speeds. BUT, when run a low speeds, they become very quiet. A 2-speed pump is also very quiet on low speed, but sounds like any other pump on high speed.

You are in a tight spot in that you want to run during the day for solar (which is most efficient at higher flow rates), but want it to be quiet as well.

Are you going to have automation for your solar?

I would think you should look at a VS pump which would allow you to set the pump speed at the lower RPM that would still provide good flow from the solar.

 

[JasonLion]

There are various things you can do to muffle the sound of the pump. Putting a rubber shower mat between the pump and the ground, as well as short sections of flexible hose on the input and output, can help a great deal. That prevents any vibration from bing transferred to the plumbing or the ground, which can sometimes act as a speaker.

 

[wayner]

How long is a pump expected to last? My pool is now about 7 years old or so and I haven't replaced the pump. Should I be expecting to have to do this in the near future? My pump will generally run for about 4.5 months of the year and about 18 hours per day. Should I be expecting to need a new one soon ahyhow so replacing it now with a quieter pump kind of makes sense?

Apparently the solar system comes with a timer that turns the valve open or closed which you synchronize approximately with sunrise and sunset. If you could actuate this with a simple relay then I could also add this in to my Control4 system which understands the concept of sunrise and sunset and allows you to program activities around that.

 

[toofast]

I agree with the VS pump....on low my 2 speed is nearly impossible to hear. But without knowing EXACTLY how much power you need a 2 sp pump on low might not be enough, and then you are forced to run on high which is loud.