Water Pump Replacement Recommendation?

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   My Pod pump is so loud and rattles its pipes so badly that I am going to replace it.  I checked that its
base was solid...but still the pipes vibrate so loudly you can hear it quite a long distance from the pod!
However, when I find a pump, which the manufacturer claims is 'super-quiet'...the reviews for
the same pump state "very loud...rattles...constantly re-cyles...don't buy!, etc."
If you have replaced your pump...was your new pump quiet...do you recommend it?  If so, 
what manufacturer and model #?

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TIDALWAVE Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 21 Nov 2009 Location: MINNESOTA Online Status: Offline Posts: 315	Topic: Water Pump Replacement Recommendation? Posted: 13 Oct 2010 at 1:21pm
	My Pod pump is so loud and rattles its pipes so badly that I am going to replace it. I checked that its base was solid...but still the pipes vibrate so loudly you can hear it quite a long distance from the pod! However, when I find a pump, which the manufacturer claims is 'super-quiet'...the reviews for the same pump state "very loud...rattles...constantly re-cyles...don't buy!, etc." If you have replaced your pump...was your new pump quiet...do you recommend it? If so, what manufacturer and model #?
	TIDALWAVE

popgoesweasel Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 22 Jan 2010 Location: Costa Rica Online Status: Offline Posts: 49	Posted: 13 Oct 2010 at 2:33pm
	Try using some high density foam as a mount for the current water pump. This may solve your problem. Replacing the pump with another that rattles around like the first one may not solve your problem. This tip comes from a purchasing agent at FR via the FR representatives at the First Eastern Roundup in KY. Apparently, this is a common problem with travel trailers since so much of the components and installation work is done looking at the bottom line.
	R171 2010 Frontier 2009 Site 40 Eastern Rally 2010

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Posted: 13 Oct 2010 at 2:50pm
	Not only underneath the pump, but also wrap the lines to/from the pump with foam a foot or two out. You can also add a pressure reservoir which will extend the time between pump activation (but then it will run longer to recharge the reservoir). Some people have used rubber mouse pads under their pump.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Posted: 13 Oct 2010 at 4:41pm
	My take....all of the above will help, but it will still be somewhat noisy. I think it's just the nature of the beasties. I don't think it helps that they tend to be mounted in small enclosed compartments, which (I think) makes them resonate like an acoustic guitar. Some of the vibration is transmitted thru the piping also. I mounted mine on approx. 1/2" rubber gromments and it helped a little. My next "try" is going to be to mount a piece of 2X6 on top of HD foam (loose - oversize screw holes and not too tightly screwed down) and then mount the pump with the grommets to that. I'm hoping the board will absorb some of the vibration and there will be no direct connection between the pump and the stucture of the camper. If I'm real lucky, the two will not vibrate in sync and tend to cancel each other. Maybe, this weekend....I can let you know the results, but my expectations are not high.

Outbound Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 19 Nov 2009 Location: Oshawa, Ontario Online Status: Offline Posts: 767	Posted: 13 Oct 2010 at 6:43pm
	I replaced our stock pump with a ShurFlo Revolution 4008. It pumps a bit more water (3 GPM vs 2.8 GPM) and is quieter than stock. However, I don't think its that much quieter than stock that I'd replace a perfectly good pump that I was otherwise happy with. Your best bet is to keep the pipe vibration from happening in the first place. In addition to using foam pipe insulation (at least 2', preferably 3' on both the input and output lines from the pump) thats already been mentioned, I put a foam rubber mousepad under the pump (screwed right through it into the floor) that dampened the noise considerably. You may also want to install an accumulator tank, which will cut down considerably on how often your pump cycles. Its a relatively cheap & easy mod that really pays off.
	Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150

TIDALWAVE Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 21 Nov 2009 Location: MINNESOTA Online Status: Offline Posts: 315	Posted: 14 Oct 2010 at 8:58am
	Thanks for the suggestions...I am going to try to mount my present pump on a thick sheet of soft rubber. The rubber sheet then would be mounted (glued) to a piece of plywood which would then be screwed to the Pod floor. I think this would isolate the pump vibrations from the floor. I also noticed for sale 'a pipe vibration deadening kit' which consists of two short flexible hoses with 1/2 inch threaded ends. Supposedly the flexibility of the hoses keeps the pump vibrations from being transferred to the semi-rigid plastic piping.
	TIDALWAVE

HuronSailor Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 10 Jun 2009 Location: Owosso MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 14 Oct 2010 at 11:44am
	Here's my humble .02: I have owned several boats over the last few decades, all had 12V ShurFlo pumps, like the pods. All had flexible hose for water lines, not semi-rigid tubing like the pods. Some had an accumulator tank, some didn't. One boat went through 2 pumps during the time I owned it, so I got to compare the original ShurFlo pump with a similar model 15 years newer made by the same mfr. They were all noisy. It's the nature of the beast, IMHO. I'd give the mousepad a try. I did this on mine and it did cut down noise a small amount, but the mounting screws still go directly into the pod floor and transmit vibration to the pod. The pipe insulation mentioned earlier will help a bit, serving to isolate the tubing from the pod's structure in specific areas where they contact each other. The tank will make the pump a little less irritating by stretching out the time between cycles a little. A new pump definitely won't help, and I'd bet that neither will the hose isolation kit you mentioned. The most effective solution, I think, would be some sort of soft flexible "motor mounts". The mounts would screw into the pod floor, and the pump into the mounts, with flexible material bonded between. Your idea of plywood sheets with rubber between should help as long as you use different screws to mount the base to the pod than you use to mount the pump, leaving the rubber middle layer completely free to move. Let us know what you decide and how it works out for you. If you make a successful mount, be sure to take pics as I may want to steal your design, ha ha.
	.: Mark & Beth :: Silverado 5.3L :: 2018 rPod 180 :.

TIDALWAVE Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 21 Nov 2009 Location: MINNESOTA Online Status: Offline Posts: 315	Posted: 17 Oct 2010 at 11:32am
	I received a private email from a forum member concerning pump noise. He directed me to a company which sells 'pump vibration suppression pads'. I first looked at 'SSF-sound suppression foam pads' but I couldn't figure out a way to attach the pump base on one side and the foam pad to the flooring. They also sell sound suppression bases which consists of a thin SSF pad glued to the bottom of a cork block which also has an SSF pad glued to the top. The base block has to be larger than the pump base. The pump is screwed onto the block top, resting on the SSF top pad. Four new anchor points are drilled through the block outside of the pump base and the block is screwed to the floor. Therefore, the pump base screws are secured to the upper portion of the block. Any vibration from the pump base is suppressed by the underlying SSF foam top layer. The cork center layer suppresses any remaining vibration from being transferred to the adjacent floor anchoring screws. Finally the bottom SSF layer further suppresses noise from the block to the floor. I also installed soft-flexible foam 'insulation' sleeves over the in & out pump hoses to keep them from vibrating as much as before. I don't know the decibel decrease but to my ears there was a very noticeable noise decrease, enough that I don't think I am going to have to pad the interior of the pump enclosure with additional SSF padding! (I would have included photos...but I am not familiar on how to include them in this forum)
	TIDALWAVE

popgoesweasel Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 22 Jan 2010 Location: Costa Rica Online Status: Offline Posts: 49	Posted: 17 Oct 2010 at 12:18pm
	Howzabout the URL for this company? Please share it.
	R171 2010 Frontier 2009 Site 40 Eastern Rally 2010

TIDALWAVE Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 21 Nov 2009 Location: MINNESOTA Online Status: Offline Posts: 315	Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 1:37pm
	Sorry I didn't include the company's URL: (Soundproofing Company): www.soundproofing.org They have a lot of various types of sound proofing products. Their prices are about average.
	TIDALWAVE