Reeflo Manta Ray - Incredibly Loud, is something wrong? Video attached!

[MountainManReef]

So I purchased a Reeflo Manta Ray to pump water from my basement/garage fish room area to my display tanks on the first floor of my home. I purposely bought a larger/oversized pump due to the distance I need water to travel, and my intention to run multiple tanks in the future.

I finally fired it up, but in a very limited capacity. My plan has been to run only my garage area for several weeks while I finish work on some other projects. This will allow me to start acquiring rock, and to begin my cycle and create a stable environment to plumb display tanks to.

For now it is only responsible for drawing water from my sump to a 30g breeder I set up as a refugium close by. I have it very much dialed back, and it is very very loud. In my garage it sounds like a small engine running, and I can hear it loud and clear from my living area upstairs.

The pump already sits on some sound dampening pads from BRS, and the output has a length of braided nylon tubing to try and further deaden the vibrations.

Before I keep messing with this, I was hoping to get some guidance on wether or not this is normal sound, or if maybe I have another problem that can be solved.

The video below was show with my iphone 5 from about 6 feet away from the pump. I know it will be very hard to tell volume based on the many variables (like what you have your computer volume set to,) but I hope it will provide a baseline for me to get some opinions.

http://i1325.photobucket.com/albums/u628/MountainManReef/th_C29DF484-2FA4-4E2B-A9C8-58540D35D03F-15166-00000ADFCB399BCD_zps9124df75.jpg (http://i1325.photobucket.com/albums/u628/MountainManReef/C29DF484-2FA4-4E2B-A9C8-58540D35D03F-15166-00000ADFCB399BCD_zps9124df75.mp4)

[Mark Bianco]

Reeflow pumps as well as others have a break in period. My Hammer head was loud but quieted down after two weeks, but do not expect it to be silent...

[MountainManReef]

Well, thats good to know. I can live with noisy (its in my garage,) but I'd like to not hear it a whole floor away. Part of the reason I am setting this stuff in my garage is to avoid noisy equipment.

I was also hoping that the loud noise is not a sign of damage to the pump, i.e. cavitation. I know I don't have it plumbed traditionally, or efficiently for that matter.

[reeftivo]

Also may want to try regulating the flow from the intake instead of the output. That may be causing a little cavitation

[Eurobeaner]

Also might want to put rubber on everything. Hard mounted will carry vibrations and it will resonate through everything making it louder. I'd get some of that rubber type stuff you put in the bottom of drawers for kitchen or tool boxes. Should be enough to soak up the vibrations

[MountainManReef]

Also may want to try regulating the flow from the intake instead of the output. That may be causing a little cavitation

I thought I read somewhere never to do this? I'm willing to try it, but I thought starving the pump of water was a really bad idea.


Also might want to put rubber on everything. Hard mounted will carry vibrations and it will resonate through everything making it louder. I'd get some of that rubber type stuff you put in the bottom of drawers for kitchen or tool boxes. Should be enough to soak up the vibrations

I have some of this..but I'm not sure what you mean. I already have the pump itself sitting on sound dampeners. Where else should I place this stuff?

[Mark Bianco]

Also may want to try regulating the flow from the intake instead of the output. That may be causing a little cavitation

NEVER EVER Regulate the intake of a pump. This leads to problems and voids the warranty from most manufactures,

Mark

[sbeason]

+2 on do not throttle down the intake side of the pump. Just put a ball valve on the outlet side of the pump to control the flow. I have a Reeflo hammerhead hybrid in my basement feeding my display on the main floor. It sounds like a pool filter basically. I did put a rubber sheet underneath the pump and it greatly reduced the noise from the vibration.

-Steve

[MountainManReef]

Spoke with Reeflo today, really great customer service. There is a chance this noise is normal (this is a badass pump) and I may end up swapping to a low speed model.

[Eurobeaner]

The pump is sitting on rubber, but what about every other chunk of wood I see there around the ball valve. Vibrations travel down from the pump housing to the plumbing. Your output is fine because you have flex hose, but it looks like your pump inlet is also hard mounted which can transfer vibrations.