Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions aerator noise

I recently purchased a Vertex aeration system which has been running for a little over a month now and it has performed wonders for the pond. No more thermocline, a boost in available nutrients which have caused a (first time in 20 years) green tinge from a sustained plankton bloom, and more useable habitat area for the fish.
The problem is the noise, the pump, in the manufacturers metal enclosure is located 150 feet from tne house and on the edge of a dense wooded area. The noise (54 dB at 100 feet) is probably a combination of vibration and some effect of the sound not penetrating the woods and boncing back towards the house. In any event it's noisy and the wife's not happy.
I'm considering housing the Vertex enclosure in a plywood enclosure with sound deadening accoustic foam and of course screened vents. Has any one had any experience building any sound enclosures for aerator compressors or know where I can come across any plans or suggestions.

Which model do you have? Be sure the stainless allen bolts that the door hinges on are snug, Vertex ships them loose and they can be noisey from the vibration. I have 2 Vertex Air 1's mounted on the same 4x4 wooden post. These are the new style with the Brookwood single piston pumps and at 30 ft away you really have to listen to hear them run. Also be sure the door seal is tight. When you unlock the cabinet you should have to push in on the door to make the lock work easier. This will tell you if the seal is tight.Lastly unplug the cooling fan to be sure the noise is not coming from there as I recently had a customer in NY thay ended up with a loud damaged fan from shipping.At 150 ft you should hear nothing. Your system should still be under warranty so lets get it working properly so the wife is happy, let me know if I can be of help, Ted

TLF give great advice! Since he deals in the product you can't go wrong with his advice.

For my two cents I have gast compressors (three of them) and I find if I don't screw them down they tend to vibrate and make noise. I also use a foam underlayment. On my compressors there are attachments with holes to run a drywall screw through into the plywood base.

I built boxes of plywood that are simply square with two by four legs. On top is a hinged lid with a latch for closure. I got vents from a local building supply and put one on each side. Make sure if you build one to allow plenty of space for cooling (mine don't have fans).

My system is a Vertex Air 1 with the new Brookwood pump. It does seem like the cabinet makes more noise than the pump. I'm out of town until Wednesday but when I get back the first thing I'll check is the door bolts and the door gaskets. I'll post what I find out, tightening two bolts will be easier than building a cabinet!

Thanks

An additional cabinet or enclosure may shorten the pump life, You have a 105 cfm cooling fan designed for that cabinet and pump. Anything built around it will cause excess heat.If the system is not working correctly Vertex will issue a call tag and replace the unit right away.See what you find out and post.

We installed 2 Vertex aeration systems in my prior neighborhood (6 and 9 acre ponds). Living with excess noise was not an option within an HOA community.

Both compressors were housed in the metal cabinets supplied by Vertex. One cabinet was located in a 20'X 20' pump house and, therefore not relevant to this discussion. The other cabinet, however, was situated where there were no available outbuildings but nearby houses within 200 feet (not to mention the ability of the sound to travel across the water and disturb more neighbors).

Our resident handyman genius (retired fire captain) constructed a small shed on a concrete pad with ventilation and insulation and a thermostatically controlled fan. He, further, took temperature measurements at different times of the day to see that we were not exceeding the operating temperatures of the compressor.

As we lived in an area that was subject to 100 degree weather, we further discussed either a subterranean or submersed air intake duct (geothermal) to moderate the outside air temperature during periods of extreme heat.

I tightened the allen bolts and it did make a difference. The wife concedes it's quieter but still audible from 100 feet. The box still is making noise from vibration, I'm waiting for the hardware store to get in some rubber washers to use against the telephone/light pole the Vertex enclosure is bolted to the pole. While the enclosure is off I'll check and tighten all the bolts where the pump is attached. Any suggestions where to check next?

Lets be sure the GFCI box is tight too as some are bolted and some are riveted to the Quiet Air cabinet. If you have the plastic intake filter on the pump with the foam filter you need the upgrade to the metal muffler with paper air filter.This change lowered the decible level about 25%If you already have the black metal muffler lets be sure the paper filter is inside. The outside of the canister will turm about 1/4 inch to unlock. If you do not have the new design have your dealer send you one as if this was recently bought there wont be a charge for it.Let me know. PS I always use a 1/16 piece of belting to cushion the back of the cabinet from vibration noise on whatever I am mounting the cabinet on. I stood 50 ft away from both of my Air1 display models running this evening and could not hear them run.(yes I may need a hearing check) Let me know, Ted

Ted
Success! Everything you suggested to tighten was a half or quarter turn loose, tightening, combined with your suggestion of a rubber insulator between the box and the pole, made a huge difference. I had to walk over to the pond and see the bubbles to be sure it was running! Thank you for your time and input on this noise issue. I just gave you a 5 star rating, it's guys like you that make this site the valuable tool it is.
Thanks

Glad you are satisfied (wife too) as thats what its all about !! I take it you do have the new style metal muffler and not the plastic one ??

Ted,
My compressor does have the black metal muffler with the paper filter. What is suprising to me is how much vibration was eliminated by tightening the bolts only a fraction of a turn more. Had you not suggested the tightening I'd have never tightened them further. Thanks!