It’s bad enough that I have a sump pump that runs, I have to hear it as I lounge on the sofa! I’ve had a number of different pumps and tried all kinds of ways to position them but they all still make noise when they run a big clunk when they shutoff. Anybody have any ideas how to stop the racket?
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what the problem is ,is the check valve is closing and the weight of the water above it is slamming it shut. i have the same problem with my sewage ejector pump. i don't know how to fix it,but i will stay tune to this thread to see what others say. larry
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Remove the check valve. Then, instead of the clunk, you'll just hear the pump running again.
(And let's not complain about sump pump noise. Hearing it run when needed is a lot better than NOT hearing it run when needed.)
Dan,
You got that right. If it gets to quite down there, you had better be finding out why?
Ozlander
What kind of piping and check valve do you have? The metal, commercial-style check valves, while more reliable, are generally noiser. Maybe change to PVC type? Also look at piping with regard to structure - consider more resilient mounting.
I recently replaced my sump pump with a new Zoeller model (http://www.zoeller.com) and it doesn't do that. You can replace the pump for $140.
Jeff
Yeah, simply placing a length of rubber hose on both sides of the valve will likely help a lot.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Some are 'Fernco' style with rubber connectors for the PVC.
Jeff
Edited 3/30/2007 11:20 pm ET by Jeff_Clarke
<Sump Pump Clunk>
Boy, I just like saying that - wait 'til I tell my 3-yr-old!
Forrest - enjoying your worries
If Chuck could Clunk Sump Pumps how many Sumps could Chuck Clumk?.
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
But would Chuck clunk sump pumps?
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Hmmm, thank you all for your thoughts. I've tried a bunch of stuff and either it's hopeless or I just haven't found the right combination. Right now I have a check valve mounted with 4" long rubber connectors after about a foot of PVC pipe from the pump. The check valve does it job of backflow prevention (I know because I get wet every time I work on it). Since this didn't work I added another rubber connected check valve just before the pvc right angles out the rim joist. It didn't help at all.
You could try a second check valve up high before it goes vertical so that you don't have as much force dropping down on that check valve. Also make sure that you are somewhat isolated from the joists by wrapping the pipe in foam at the hangers or using spray foam for a cushion. We are also using some spring loaded check valves currently on a customers house to see if it lessens the thud on an ejector pump. No complaints thus far.John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
bruce - I would suggest raising the height of the check valve - this will reduce the weight of the water column closing it. Also, what brand of sump pump and how old is it? Are your pipes resiliently mounted to structure?
Jeff
Hi Bruce,
I solved that problem in my basement flat by installing two check valves. One right by the sump and another near the top of the line.
Glendo
This thread is mildly amusing/topical. Most of a year ago, after we got our new furnace, I installed a sump pump in the plenum pit for the sub-slab ductwork. (Previously we'd had to pull a register and pump out the ducts with a utility pump, running a hose out the window. PITA.)
During the entire past year the thing had never run, and, though I made it as fool-proof as I knew how, had no direct evidence that it would work. But Friday evening (flash flood watch in the area) I heard a faint hum that was different from the other assorted whirrs and clicks that come from the utility room, and sure enough the pit had filled and the pump had run, exactly as planned. This evening it's been running every ten minutes or so.
(No clunk, BTW, since there's no check valve. Only a 4-foot head, and one less thing to go wrong.)
If the clunk is actually coming from the valve, I wonder if sound insulation around it might not help. I'm thinking maybe cut a hole in the bottom of a large pop bottle and cut off some of the top to make it fit the pipe, then slit it down the side, fit around the valve, and tape closed. Fill with low-expansion foam.
yes you'r right my sump sump also create very loud noise. what is best solution for this problem.
thanks !!!