Extremely noisy new water pump

E

EO2020

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I've just moved into a new build house, and their is a large water pump attached to a set up with water tanks and solar panels (I don't know the technical details!). The water pump comes on when the shower, bath, and all taps come on, except for the cold in the kitchen, water pressure is excellent. The only issue is that it is extremely noisy, and I mean incredibly loud. The pump is located on the other side of a fairly thin wall to a bedroom, and the small child in there is woken every time somebody even washes their hands! It can be easily heard all over the house.

I think in the longer term I need to get a plumber in to see what can be done about making it quieter (any ideas appreciated!) but in the meantime is their any reason I can't just turn the pump off and switch it on when we want to use the shower and maybe fill the bath? It plugs in and there is a switch on the plug. Would it interfere with the system, and would we still have hot water to the sinks albeit at lower pressure (which is much preferable to the unreal noise of the pump).


I would attach pic but can't work out how to.

Thanks
 
Previous thread here:

Noise from water pump

Hi all Moving into new house soon, air to water heat system in place. At the base of the water tank in the hot press is a pump that makes an awful loud noise every time a tap is turned on or a toilet is flushed. Is there any way to insulate or dampen the noise of the pump? Read a bit online...
www.askaboutmoney.com

With regard to switching the pump off, I don't think it will do any harm. However the water pressure may not be adequate, particularly upstairs. You'll know if you try.
 
Any chance the pump or the pipes entering/exiting it are pressed up against the plasterboard wall? Mine was like this, meaning that wall acts like a big drum for the sound of the pump. Or is it sitting directly onto the wooden floor, an anti-virbration mat can help here. If it has been screwed down or connected with non-flexible pipes this will also be an issue. A photo would be great if you can figure out how to post one!

You'll never get it silent, but it doesn't sound like it should be as noisy as it is.
 
Some pumps are a bit quieter but not a lot. I have a similar problem. Might quite substantial soundproofing in the long run
 
My pump has a fuse, the plumber said if it gets too loud I could just take that out and have the natural pressure. I wondered since if it is possible to have a 'smart fuse' or something similar you could use to just switch it on/off via your phone for a bath / shower like you say.
 
Aamstrong said:
wondered since if it is possible to have a 'smart fuse' or something similar you could use to just switch it on/off via your phone for a bath / shower like you say.
Click to expand...
You're overthinking it. It has it's own trip switch in the fuse board. Just knock it on when you want it.
 
elcato said:
You're overthinking it. It has it's own trip switch in the fuse board. Just knock it on when you want it.
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The pump may not have its own dedicated fuse in fairness, in mine for example that fuse feeds the shower pump, immersion, gas boiler and two Nests.
 
elcato said:
You're overthinking it. It has it's own trip switch in the fuse board. Just knock it on when you want it.
Click to expand...

You seem to be over-thinking it @elcato - from the OP, the pump plugs in. And we don't know it has it's own trip switch.

If you find turning it off leaves you with adequate pressure except for showers, then it might be worthwhile adding a smart plug. You could set a schedule for the pump to only come on when shower is typically in use, e.g. 7-9am. Most smart plugs, like TP-Link, come with Apps where you can manually turn on/off, set the schedule etc. Would seem to be a fairly practical & cheap solution.
 
If it's a new build can you not just ask the builder to rectify? It should perhaps have shown up in the snag list but probably not something a surveyor would really notice.
 
Also if it's a new build there's a fairly good chance the feeds to taps/toilets come back to the hot press separately to showers, so it may be easy enough for a plumber to change piping around so only showers are pumped and not taps/toilets.

A photo of the pump and surrounding area would save a lot of guess work
 
David_Dublin said:
You seem to be over-thinking it @elcato - from the OP, the pump plugs in. And we don't know it has it's own trip switch.
Click to expand...
I was answering the specific question asked, not the OP. The OP can just unplug or switch off the socket if there is a switch on it. Bottom line here is what can work without the pump and what can't. It's likely the hot tap in the bathroom(s) will be slow but the kitchen hot tap may not.
 

Not really - you stated it has it's own trip switch in the fuse board, which it may or may not have.

And the question you quoted was about being able to switch it on/off via your phone, which you didn't answer.
 
is there a well involved?
A few years ago there was a a downhole pump that reciprocated instead of the normal rotary pump, the vibration it made was unbelievable.
 
The whole estate has the same issue, and the builder has looked at it, its installed properly...it's just very noisy! It seems to be the pump iteslef rather than pipes vibrating or banging etc. I switched it off at the plug socket and the water pressure is fine for me, fairly weak upstairs but perfectly adequate for sink use, and I can just turn on the pump to have a shower or to fill the bath. A smart plug might be an idea going forward, so the pump is on at prime shower usage times without having to turn it on and off.

The main things is that the children can sleep without being woken in the night by anyone washing their hands or a coffee cup! Thanks for all answers, very useful.
 
We find these great: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07GT6TC1Q/

Works with G Home, Amazon, really easy & reliable free app to do schedules, manual on/off.

Quiet pumps are expensive, cheaper pumps tend to be noisier.
 
If it's on a wooden floor, the flexible pipes, sound mat and screwing it down to the floor will help. You could also surround it with wool insulation. Not knowing the specific pump, most modern pumps are water cooled which helps with the noise. Seems inconvenient to have to switch it on/off whether physically or with a smart plug.
 
Zenith63 said:
The pump may not have its own dedicated fuse in fairness, in mine for example that fuse feeds the shower pump, immersion, gas boiler and two Nests.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Was hoping to have one fuse switch myself but found it's turning off other lights etc with it. These things are a disaster. I have often been in high rise apartments abroad and zero noise from any pump. Also a recent development with mine is that maybe once an hour it will randomly come on for a couple of seconds and switch off again even though no one using the water. Anyone any idea what happening in this instance?
 
There is a small seepage of water somewhere - could be a tap not quite turned off, a toilet cistern that is not completely watertight and leaking into the bowl - this could be due to a sticky valve that doesn't shut 100%
 
Appreciate that this is here a few years but very interested in how this got resolved and any detail that you might have. Is the product a Stuart Turner iTank and related submersible pump? If so, they are defective and this is the common defect. For the benefit of others, you can hear this pump across the street it’s so loud.

Currently trying to get them to replace mine, but they want to charge €700.

Trying to gather some shared experiences, to understand how common these failures are.

Grateful if you can get in touch.
 
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