Water pump mounting ideas
I'm looking at a new jet pump which I will be relocating to the garage. It has mounting holes in the base plate, but I'm not sure what to mount it to. The larg pressure tanks I have looked at do not allow the pump to be mounted on them like some of the smaller ones do.
Any ideas on how to mount the new pump to reduce sound / vibration? I will most likely have an 18" high "platform" with plywood floor to sit everything on, HWT, PT, etc. I could bolt the pump to the plywood, just not sure about vibration. Just looking for ideas on how others have done this. Maybe I'm worried about nothing, and just need to bolt it to anything solid and forget it?
Re: Water pump mounting ideas
Here is what I would do. Drill some holes in the concrete floor and sink some sort of fasterners designed for concrete the L shaped ones commonly used for walls ect will work. Get one of the cardboard concrete forms about 18 in in diameter set it where i want the pump and fill with ready mix up to the 18 in height and them bolt my pump to the concrete form. I think if you bolt it to a wood platform the noise will be excessive. Plus the concrete will not rot if you have minor drips or condensation. Actually here in Arizona I would put the pump out at the well but maybe not in Ohio.
Re: Water pump mounting ideas
[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Normally, those type of units require only the barest minumum of mounting arrangements. Lots and lots of them go through life with nothing but a base plate sitting on the floor. My favorite thing is to mount them with lots of space under the pump so leakage water and rust cannot accumulate directly under the unit. Even using four long bolts as legs will be OK. One thing you want to avoid is having the pump bolted tightly down and then have the piping settle and put tons of piping strain on the unit. So..... this sounds crazy, but don't tie it down if you don't have to. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]
Re: Water pump mounting ideas
I can appreciate your not wanting to make a sounding board to amplify/distribute noise. You can get anti-vibration mounts expressly for decoupling rotating and reciprocating machinery from their surrounds. The better solutions require you to specify the weight to be placed on each mount and the RPM and related pump configuration information. RPM and pump info is so the sales engineer can determine the frequencies of interest. This isn't cheap but is very effective.
Next best might be some Sorbathane "one size fits all" rubber pads.
For a simpler DIY approach you could float the pump and motor on a urethane or neoprene pad and put an enclosure (box) around it. Use accoustical insulation with the box. A good approach is to make a double wall box and fill the wall cavity with dry sand. That is a pretty cost effective sound dampening approach. A sand fill is pretty anti-resonant and has a good extinction coeficient.
Project cost will depend on where you get the foam pad because the double wall box with sand in the walls could be built for a couple bucks or less depending on your scrounging abililties.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Re: Water pump mounting ideas
I've bolted them to a 2x4 or 2x6 etc. nailed to a wooden floor
or a steel plate welded onto the presure tank.
I did one installation by bolting the pump to a shelf in the bathroom of a double wide home.
All 3 ways worked fine.
Re: Water pump mounting ideas
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
.... specify the weight to be placed on each mount and the RPM and related pump configuration information. RPM and pump info is so the sales engineer can determine the frequencies of interest. ...
For a simpler DIY approach you could float the pump and motor on a urethane or neoprene pad ... is pretty anti-resonant and has a good extinction coeficient.
[/ QUOTE ]
<font color="red"> WARNING! WARNING! DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! </font color>
Engineer on the loose! Serious over-engineering in progress!
It's okay, Pat, it's just a water pump. Take a deep breath....
[img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]
Of course, I've never been guilty of overkill engineering myself. No, not me, no sir...
You know you have a problem when :
1. The original <whatever you repaired> entirely disintegrates long before the repair shows any sign of wear.
2. You could have bought three of them for what you spent on repairing it.
3. You've become skilled at justifying conditions 1 and 2!
[img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Re: Water pump mounting ideas
A piece of 3/4 inch plywood bolted to the base for stability works quite well.
Place the pump in a suitable location that allows access and yet keeps it out of the way.
Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Re: Water pump mounting ideas
BLUERIDGE, I was responding to the original posters question...
Apparently I was the only one who responded to the question.
<font color="red"> " Any ideas on how to mount the new pump to reduce sound / vibration? " </font color>
I wasn't stating how I would mount it or suggest mounting it under NORMAL conditions but was responding to the above quoted question.
That said, as regards your over engineering-rationalization comments...
I RESEMBLE THOSE REMARKS!!! (SORRY GATOR DUDE, I somewtimes use caps for emphasis)
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Re: Water pump mounting ideas
[img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Re: Water pump mounting ideas
"which I will be relocating to the garage"
Is the garage heated for the winter?