Silence that noisy air pump

[SoCal]

I was doing some research on how to make my noisy whisper air pump stop that annoying humming noise and I thought I'd share what I found. Lots of people suspend their air pumps in mid air with rubber bands or a light spring. Also they talked about rigging a bottle to the air hose in between the air pump and the hose that goes into the tank. The bottle acts like a muffler and is supposed to take the vibration out of the air hose. The large volume of trapped air in the bottle supplies a smoother flow of air to the air stone so your tank doesn't hum.

Has anyone tried this and if so what size bottle did you use?

 

[RogerMcAllen]

I always just put mine on a towel folded over several times to dampen the vibrations. Thanks for the tips.

 

[TomK2]

Well, It took me a while to get around to it, but YES! I have tried it and it works. Here is a link for a full explanation:

http://home.comcast.net/~tomstank/tomstank_files/page0016.htm

Attached is a photo as well.

 

[Menagerie]

Wow, the muffler method looks interesting. I usually suspend mine.

 

[TomK2]

I wasn't being bothered by the noise outside the pump, it was in the next room. Lots of noise was going into the tank, then into my office. My office with the tank was almost as noisy as the room that had the pump in it! The muffler reduces noise that goes down the air tubing and into the tank by A LOT. The pressure in the system is reduced (because of the chamber), and the air flow out the airstone is reduced a bit too. So, if you need a lot of presssure or airflow, you might need a bigger pump if you put a muffler on. Overall it seems to work. Give it a try!

 

[ChileRelleno]

We had some noisy air pumps before, we just folded a little wash towel under'em. Now we prefer the Rena brand air pumps, a little more pricey but quiet...