Pump muffler
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 5:02 pmOur submerged water pumps need to be muffled or baffled. It is irritating / frustrating when distilling. When powered on the reverb and high pitch whirring of the impeller / motor. When submerged it is slightly better, however hours and hours the reverb, the impeller and electric motor sound is bloody frustrating. It is far noisier than the boiler when powered on and boiling and does not hit the sides.
I thought about it at night time when I was unable to sleep. Hmm like a motorbike muffler, cylindrical and thick material. The plastic fruit juice bottles from original juice co. Golden circle limited (Sold out! to overseas buyers I presume years back) are the thick enough and at the ready.
I checked the hose and the electrical cable fits through the nozzle opening, and it does fit snug, and both do not move on their own, with a bit of force the hose and cable moves for adjustment. I cut out the bottom of the bottle for the pump to fit with a baffle. To baffle even further I added a old cotton shirt and wrapped it around the pump and fed it into the bottle. With some minor adjusting of the shirt and pump, the impeller opening is clear, it will face down. Further reducing the sound it creates when powered. In regards to possible overheating, it is cool water about 24 degrees Celsius when the bloody hot days are 40-42.
I ensured the hose clamp and electric cables where firm in the muffler and there is enough play in the cool water for movement when the pump follows the water line when suspended with a float. Then I submerged the pump muffler and waited for all air to escape. It does not float. I then adjusted the floats, hoses and cable for best results.
The outcome was surprising, it has cut the pump operating sound down quite well. The boiler during warm up and when boiling is louder. The whirring sound is barely noticeable. A simple and effective solution to baffle a water pump. It may not look pretty, however it is practical over aesthetics.
It will be easy to maintain. Clean the cotton and plastic bottle if required. Add a stainless steal mesh filter or fly screen to the bottom to ensure no debris is sucked through to prolong the pump operating life. Check the hoses and electrical cable before each run.
We now have a quieter distilling environment. One less thing to irritate and frustrate us while distilling alcohol or water. It is nearly as quiet as the first distilling pump we used, however it died during start of distilling batch three, those where the days of multiple containers. :smile:
Mike and Chriss
I thought about it at night time when I was unable to sleep. Hmm like a motorbike muffler, cylindrical and thick material. The plastic fruit juice bottles from original juice co. Golden circle limited (Sold out! to overseas buyers I presume years back) are the thick enough and at the ready.
I checked the hose and the electrical cable fits through the nozzle opening, and it does fit snug, and both do not move on their own, with a bit of force the hose and cable moves for adjustment. I cut out the bottom of the bottle for the pump to fit with a baffle. To baffle even further I added a old cotton shirt and wrapped it around the pump and fed it into the bottle. With some minor adjusting of the shirt and pump, the impeller opening is clear, it will face down. Further reducing the sound it creates when powered. In regards to possible overheating, it is cool water about 24 degrees Celsius when the bloody hot days are 40-42.
I ensured the hose clamp and electric cables where firm in the muffler and there is enough play in the cool water for movement when the pump follows the water line when suspended with a float. Then I submerged the pump muffler and waited for all air to escape. It does not float. I then adjusted the floats, hoses and cable for best results.
The outcome was surprising, it has cut the pump operating sound down quite well. The boiler during warm up and when boiling is louder. The whirring sound is barely noticeable. A simple and effective solution to baffle a water pump. It may not look pretty, however it is practical over aesthetics.
It will be easy to maintain. Clean the cotton and plastic bottle if required. Add a stainless steal mesh filter or fly screen to the bottom to ensure no debris is sucked through to prolong the pump operating life. Check the hoses and electrical cable before each run.
We now have a quieter distilling environment. One less thing to irritate and frustrate us while distilling alcohol or water. It is nearly as quiet as the first distilling pump we used, however it died during start of distilling batch three, those where the days of multiple containers. :smile:
Mike and Chriss