I just setup a 180 gallon acrylic. I'm using a mag drive 18 as my return pump. When I first set it up I just put the foam thing on the bottom to absorb noise. I didn't put the sponge on the intake of the pump, because the water is already going through a 25 micron filter sock. It was pretty quiet, but the next morning when I got up it had a fairly loud chattering type sound. I had a box of 3 fine filter pads for a rena xp filter, so I put those under the pump and put the sponge on the intake. It was almost silent then, but the next morning it had a bit of a chatter. It's a brand new pump. I'm using 1" flexible hose, split in two with a tee going to both back corners of the tank. I have 2 90 degree pvc elbows at the end of the hose connecting to 2 bulkheads. I have no elbows on the inside of the tank directing flow, so it's currently shooting straight down. Is there something I did wrong to make this noisy or anyway to quiet it down? Thanks.
Noisy mag drive 18
- Thread starter aaronb
- Start date
I'd really appreciate some help on this. I got a mag drive, because people said they were fairly quiet, but this is far from quiet.
First, I would check out the impeller of the pump. If the ceramic end is cracked you may need a new impeller. This could be causing the noise. Otherwise, place the pump on a piece of rubber. That will quiet it if the noise is coming from a vibration.
Thanks. I was thinking about checking the impeller when I get home. It does sound like the impeller is chattering like it's out of balance.
If you have already cushioned the pump, I would check the impeller. Now, if this is a new pump, you might want to call whomever you bought it from to see if you can return it. I wouldn't take it apart as you might void the warranty.
take it apart and see if anything is stuck in housing. is there any chance the pump is sucking air? that can make noise. look at the impeller for cracks and for the "blades" for cracks of broken parts...
return it if there is a problem. Mag has great customer service
return it if there is a problem. Mag has great customer service
I have heard that the 18 and 24 are louder than the smaller models. If there is any way to fanagle it, I would try to return the 18 and get two 9.5s instead. Especially since you already have two returns. If one pumps dies, you have the piece of mind of having the second one.
^^ exactly.
One mag 18 or 24 IME is loud as it is. You'd be better off doing a pair of something smaller........less noise and redundancy is in full effect IMO. I run a pair of q16000's on my 300 and couldn't be happier