Another Quietest Return Pump Thread

[Fish Tank Travis]

I currently am running two Rio 20HF return pumps on my 220 with 55 gallon sump. I don't think they are that loud but my wife doesn't like the pump hum (one is completely silent but two others I have tried have a decent amount of pump noise). So, I'm wanting to find out what you all think is a very quiet replacement that has near the same power as my current Rio's.

I have looked at the Jebao DCT-6000 as an option but I've heard of a few comments that say their quality may not be great and some pumps end up noisy, so I'm a little hesitant. I do think there has been a new model out recently, so did the quality get better with the new model?

Also, other options would be greatly appreciated. I would like to stay on the energy efficient side but really need it to be almost completely silent.

Here's a picture of where the new pumps will be going:



The dimensions of the pump are also rather important. The area is about 11"x11.5" and I will need to fit two pumps in it. The water level in the picture is about where it will have to be in order to keep my sump from overflowing during a power outage. I might be able to raise it an inch to inch and a half if completely necessary, but that will be putting my sump capacity at pretty much its absolute maximum.

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[DN328]

I responded to your other thread, but will add to this. In general, in do think DC pumps are fairly quiet. I have two Waveline, that exceeds your needs for gph. I do question reliabilty - at least if not run submerged as they can heat up and power supply shuts down. Folks have also given mixed responses about Jebao as you noted. I have also heard/seen Deepwater and Ecotech Vectra L1 running. I think Jebao and Deepwater are variations of the Waveline. All quiet and low electric consumption.

The echotech is really quiet and they all claim to use low energy (ive not verified otherwise). I just got the Echotech, as my hope is that it's more reliable than others. They are pricey compared to the others given the features it has for reefers with closed loops, but i care mostly about reliabilty.

The M1, L1's younger bro, is rated 2000gph. I haven't installed yet, but time will tell how reliable it is or i wasted more money.

 

[duanes]

The noise created by a pump, can be related to other things (not just the pump itself).
All pumps vibrate (its what they do) so how you place the pump, what its placed on , and what the piping touches all contribute to noise.
Putting a pump directly on a glass bottom, often creates lots of vibration noise and hum.
Placing a pump on a sponge can help, and placing a song between piping and a side also helps.
I used Mag drives for years , and they vibrate like crazy.
I used metal straps screwed down to a fix the pump tightly to a heavy rock, and placed the rock on a sponge to tone the vibration down.

note the sponge between the PVC and side of sump
below, a little hard to see but the Mag Drive is placed on a sponge, instead of directly on the glass. An added benefit is the extra biofiltration provided by the song.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

Thanks guys.

I have tried holding the pump up in the open water and then holding the viny tubing away from all surfaces, and this doesn't really help. It seems to be and operating vibration inside the pump itself. I think I might try to get some silicone oil and lube up the shaft and impeller and see if that helps.

Also, I think I'm going to give one of the Jebao DC pumps a shot. I was thinking about the DCT 6000/8000 or the DCS 7000.

Any thoughts on the DCT vs. DCS? From what I have read, the DCS is the upgraded DCT. However, when looking at them on Amazon, there is hardly any activity for the DCS models, but tons of reviews for the DCT's, even though they are around the same price. I'm kind of leaning towards the DCS, unless someone can give me a reason I shouldn't.