Dampen water pump vibration

[Blaine]

Hi All,

I have a Jabsco 60 psi water pump which powers my fresh water system. Even using the hard rubber "feet" which come with the pump to dampen vibration, the whole boat shakes when the pump runs which makes a tremendous racket.

The pump is mounted on a wood base which is glassed in to the hull. I need to isolate this pump from the wood base. Anybody have any creative suggestions?

Thanks!

[CaptTom]

I'd like to hear some ideas for this, too.

I tried to make a sound-isolating base by gluing a foam insulation board in between two plywood panels. It didn't really work and eventually came apart.

Maybe suspend the base from something, using rubber strips?

[GordMay]

SHURFLO Pump Silencing Kit #94-591-01
➥ Pump Silencing Kit | RV Products

[a64pilot]

Likely it's noise resonating through the structure and not just the plumbing.
Here is the thing, it's difficult to not build a sounding board that mounts a pump, think a drum head, if that board is not stupid stiff, its a sounding board. Filling the underside of it with foam will help a lot as will double isolating it.
When I bought my Generator, it's mounted on rubber engine mounts inside of the sound enclosure, I bought additional mounts from Nexgen and mounted the enclosure on them, so the generator is suspended by two sets of rubber mounts.

For my water pump, I would mount it on a thick aluminum plate and them mount that plate on the board with these in between to isolate things
Rubber Mount Vibration C403-8 Isolator Standoffs (Lot Of 8 Pieces) - New | eBay

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

Maybe suspend the base from something, using rubber strips?

That would work as well

[svHyLyte]

Obtain a couple of lengths of 1-1/2" diameter rubber pipe (we used head discharge hose) cut on a 30º diagonal at the ends with the shorter side of the pipe being about 2" longer than the space between the mounting bolts on your pump. Drill 3/4" diameter holes through the "top" (short side) of the pipes about 2" inside the mounting points for the pump base and small pilot holes through the opposing pipe wall. Mount the pump on the two pipes and bolt the pipes to the mounting base, first through pilot holes drilled in the long sides of the pipes and then, after loosening the pump temporarily, through the pilot holes in the pipe on the inside of the pump mounting points. With that, the rubber pipes make a fine damper that will quiet the pump.

(Further to the foregoing if the pump is unusually loud and somewhat older, the damper plate in the water chamber base may6 need replacement. Something I found on our older pump. Replacement made a major difference.)

FWIW....

[topmast]

A good large accumulator close to the pump can help too ..will absorb shock waves in the output

[sailstax]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

Obtain a couple of lengths of 1-1/2" diameter rubber pipe (we used head discharge hose) cut on a 30º diagonal at the ends with the shorter side of the pipe being about 2" longer than the space between the mounting bolts on your pump. Drill 3/4" diameter holes through the "top" (short side) of the pipes about 2" inside the mounting points for the pump base and small pilot holes through the opposing pipe wall. Mount the pump on the two pipes and bolt the pipes to the mounting base, first through pilot holes drilled in the long sides of the pipes and then, after loosening the pump temporarily, through the pilot holes in the pipe on the inside of the pump mounting points. With that, the rubber pipes make a fine damper that will quiet the pump.

(Further to the foregoing if the pump is unusually loud and somewhat older, the damper plate in the water chamber base may6 need replacement. Something I found on our older pump. Replacement made a major difference.)

FWIW....

This is very similar to Don Casey's solution in his book "This Old Boat".

[Capt Jerry]

svHyKUte's suggestion regarding the rubber hose works well. You could use plastic hose as well.

[Cheechako]

The problem is the sound transmits thru the bolts , even if you try to isolate the pump with rubber. I never found a great solution. One option is to locate the pump on a rubber mat inside a compartment under a berth. Don't screw the pump to anything, just surround it with rubber/soft stuff. :>)


The other option is to mount the pump so the rubber pad isolates the screws from the boat. Similar to a motor mount, so the steel doesn't transfer vibration.Like this:

[a64pilot]

The drawing will work cause the bolts don't go through everything to transmit the vibrations.
Also the isolators I posted a link to work largely because the fasteners do not go through the rubber

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by Blaine

Hi All,

I have a Jabsco 60 psi water pump which powers my fresh water system. Even using the hard rubber "feet" which come with the pump to dampen vibration, the whole boat shakes when the pump runs which makes a tremendous racket.

The pump is mounted on a wood base which is glassed in to the hull. I need to isolate this pump from the wood base. Anybody have any creative suggestions?

Thanks!

Hard mounted you transfer structure borne noise which will break out on large low rigidity surfaces like the hull, interior walls and coachroof.

Binding of the mounts will also occur from rigid pipes effectively being bound. Add a loop of hose at the inlet and outlet to fix this issue. Certain arrangements of mounts will also exacerbate vibration.

Cavitation and water hammer will also be a source of noise. Ensuring your suction side has low pressure loss will help. Sometimes you might need a water hammer relief valve upstream. Hot water tank, accumulator or long pipe runs.

You may also have an internal pump problem.

[Mike Banks]

How old is the pump? I had a similar problem--very noisy pump which eventually stopped altogether. I removed and replaced the bearing which drives the pump and replaced it with a Japanese made stainless steel sealed for life waterproof bearing, which cost under twenty dollars. Pump is very quiet now and no more problems, more silent than when new. I do not think the original bearing was of sufficient quality.


.

[SeaSon]

Hose mount as others have said.

[sartorst]

For what its worth, mine was very noisy (which saved water) after going to all the measure mentioned above it was only a low hum. Nice I thought until I drop anchor after a long motor and found that a hose had popped off a weak nylon hose barb and had emptied my water tank and burnt the pump out! 1st day of trip. Now my current boat is noisy and will remain so .