Water Pump Noise

Jun 4, 2004
1,071
Hunter 410 Punta Gorda
Has anyone figured out how to reduce the fresh water pump noise? These things are fastened to the hull and vibrate throughout the boat. They have rubber bases but they don't do much.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
What kind of pump do you have? The diaphragm piston pumps that are belt driven are noisy. We replaced ours with a ShurFlo Aqua King and found it to be much quieter and we eliminated the accumulator tank.

Another option is provide greater insulation from the hull. Perhaps build a shelf and install the pump on the shelf so it is not in contact with the hull.
 
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
Put a small shelf under the pump mounted on soft rubber feet. Otherwise check in at an RV parts store.

Ken
 
Jan 25, 2011
2,391
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
You might put it on rubber feet. But the bolts still come in contact with structure. You need rubber feet on the bolt head, an oversize hole, and feet under the nut. The only thing to touch boat is rubber. Personally, I let mine make some noise. I want to know when its on..
 
Jul 5, 2011
702
Oday 28 Madison, CT
You might put it on rubber feet. But the bolts still come in contact with structure. You need rubber feet on the bolt head, an oversize hole, and feet under the nut. The only thing to touch boat is rubber. Personally, I let mine make some noise. I want to know when its on..
I agree. The only thing would add is be sure you have a diaphragm tank, for example a 1 gallon Groco. This cuts the number of cycles way down, thus also the wear on the pump and, in this case, the number of times it comes on and irritates you.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
I agree. The only thing would add is be sure you have a diaphragm tank, for example a 1 gallon Groco. This cuts the number of cycles way down, thus also the wear on the pump and, in this case, the number of times it comes on and irritates you.
Well sort of, adding a pressure tank will cut down on the number of cycles however, it will not cut down on the total run time as run time is based on the volume of water pumped which is the same as whether the pump runs for 10 30 second runs or 1 5 minute run. The frequency of pump irritations will be lower, but the duration of those irritations will be longer.
 
Jun 4, 2004
1,071
Hunter 410 Punta Gorda
I worked on it a little. Installed some hose between the mounts and the hull (actually not directly connected to the hull). It seems a little better but I think the noise follows the piping from the pump. What would probably help is a flexible connection to the pump but don't know of anything compatible with the boat piping. BTW it is an Aqua King pump.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
What would probably help is a flexible connection to the pump but don't know of anything compatible with the boat piping.
Do you have rigid PVC piping? There are ways to connect to hose to pipes, might take some time and head scratching the hardware store.
 
Jul 5, 2011
702
Oday 28 Madison, CT
Well sort of, adding a pressure tank will cut down on the number of cycles however, it will not cut down on the total run time as run time is based on the volume of water pumped which is the same as whether the pump runs for 10 30 second runs or 1 5 minute run. The frequency of pump irritations will be lower, but the duration of those irritations will be longer.
Depends what you want I guess. On my boat I pressurize the tank before we go to bed, that way the pump will not fire at all through the night, as opposed to firing every time someone needs water. The other aspect is that wear on a pump typically relates directly to number of starts. A tank and longer but fewer starts/runs can be a real benefit in that regard.
 
Feb 11, 2017
108
Gulfstar 47 NC
I like it quiet, BUT , I want to hear it run, especially at night. Identify leaks . Should not run unless you are using water.
 

rickff

.
Feb 11, 2017
8
I'm with the above poster and want to hear leaks. sometimes, its a slow leak
so the pump cycles on a bit. othe times, I've had a clamp on the back of the water
heater fail, or a fitting on the inline chlorine filter. Its helped to stop problems before
they become bigger problems. And remember, always turn the pump off when leaving
the boat
 
Jul 5, 2011
702
Oday 28 Madison, CT
The leaks I have had could never be heard by the human ear, you know a tiny pinhole leak in the line somewhere out of sight. The way I found it was by pressurizing the tank before bed, awaking in the morning to find no or little pressure, i.e. water in the diaphragm tank. So by having such a tank you have an ongoing pressure tester in a sense, but heck, to each his own.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
I like it quiet, BUT , I want to hear it run, especially at night. Identify leaks . Should not run unless you are using water.
One time in a marina we 4 went for dinner and a food run. Came back to no water from the faucets. The pump ran, but one crew said it was runnng when we left! DUH! Loose clamp had pumped the freshly topped off full 40-gallons into the floor pan. No major damage, though. Yeah, I wanna hear it run.
 
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
One thing we found on airplanes to eliminate noise from hydraulic lines put an S turn in the lines and minimise the places they contact structure.

Ken
 
Jul 5, 2011
702
Oday 28 Madison, CT
And oh yes, we never leave the boat without turning off the fresh water pump breaker and even if we did, it will come off with the master power switch. Only thing that bypasses that is the bilge pump.
 

Hagar

.
Jan 22, 2008
45
Catalina 42 Olympia Washington
We have a constant speed pump with 1 gallon accumulator like others have described. The pump was pretty noisy until I moved it from a bulkhead to a plywood pad glued (one place where 5200 is a good application) to the hull below the waterline. That took care of most of the noise. Just enough that we can hear it which is a good thing.