Sound proof the pool pump

[danger005]

Last year I built a timber 'house' for the pool pump to protect it from the weather and to try and reduce the noise of the pump. The sides are all ply and it has a hinged colourbond roof. Problem is, the pump is still quite noisy.

At the moment, it doesn't have a front to it which I plan on doing but I imagine the noise will still be there. I'm hoping for a few ideas on how I can sound proof the thing- perhaps something like a sound absorbing material lining the inside?

I was considering using something like rubber matting and attach it to the inside but I'm not too sure if that'll work. Perhaps someon ehas other suggestions?

[OBBob]

Canyou mount the pump on rubber feet? That would possibly help reduce the noise quite a bit at teh source rather that trying to block it, which will be quite difficult.

[savage]

Hi!, Danger005,
I have thought of doing this to a pond pump (pool pump and cartridge filter) and a water tank pump both located close to each other. I have some off-cuts of that cool-room material, aluminium/styrene/aluminium sandwich about 50mm thick. Thing's I have to consider is ventilation/cooling for the pump's but this should be no great problem.

This type of sound proofing is used by the place I used to work for, and they had some big pump's which made a racket when they had a bearing on the way out. But like most places, they would run them until they failed completely, and then replace it with another new one they would have on stand-by.

Seeing how you already have a cover made, just try to scrounge up some styrene sheet, try places that sell fridges (Bing lee and the like), as it is used for packing or a cool-room maker, they are willing to get rid of bits and pieces as it costs them too have it disposed of. Make sure you get the proper adhesive as some will melt the foam and you will end up with a gooey mess.

For vents the snap-in plastic type would do, but don't fit them in line set one up and then have a space and set the inside one off-set to the other one on the outside, if that makes sense!....Good luck!..

[Bloss]

Sound-proofing is all about density of the materials between the sound and the place you want not to hear it. So lead is very good, but expensive to use in this sort of situation.

Cheapest is to use some of layers of old gyprock sheeting inside the plywood - 2 layers (20mm) would be good, three better etc. cheap and easy to cut to shape & fix. You need to block all gaps with dense foam or gap filler - any air gap will let out significant noise.

You could place gyprock under the hinged roof too - but it is heavy so you need to account for that. As I said sealing all air gaps is critical as is making sure that any openings face away from where you want least noise.

You will need to make sure it does not get too hot as has been said - if you put any vents in then they should face away from where you want to reduce sound. If the cover is in full sun then a double 'roof' screwed onto the lid with spacers and some overhang, so there is good flow with an air gap of say 25-30mm, is a very effective insulator.

The other practical measure is to check the timer (put one on if it doesn't have one) to make sure the pump is operating only when the least number of neighbours (or your family) are around ie: mid morning or mid afternoon. At least be sure it is not running at night or early morning when ambient noise is at its lowest levels as that will be less annoying to you and your neighbours.

[joe greiner]

If the pump is so noisy that you need this much soundproofing, some pump maintenance might be time and money better spent. I can barely hear mine from about 10m away, and it has no enclosure at all. 'Tis mounted on a timber slab, though.

Joe

[Article99]

I'd look at stopping vibration first and foremost. It'll kill a fairly decent portion of the noise.
Consider rubber feet, or something soft to stop as much vibes as possible getting into whatever surface it's sitting on. Rattly bearings and such can also make this problem worse. If it's due for a service, then service it.


Once you've got vibration covered, as it's usually the cheapest thing to try first, staple some thick, soft foam to the inside of your enclosure. There are proper acoustic tiles to do this with, but they're quite pricey. (Have a look in your Jaycar catalogue if you're curious.)
A good source for cheap foam would be Clark Rubber or similar.

Hope it all goes well, mate.

[Flyboy]

We had this exact same problem with a rainwater tank pump which was located directly under our bedroom

I'm not sure how much room you have to play with, but what worked for us and was really cheap was sandbags filled with dirt.

Cheers