Power Head Problem

Hello everyone. Well heres ths situation. I have 2 RIO HF8 One on each side of the tank. The one that is on the right side (corner of room) is quite can be...infact if everything else is off but that and you unplug it...you cant hear a difference. The other is on the left side. (no wall or corner in room) This one is very loud. So i thought it was messed up and infact the impeller rod was loose so i got a new one...the new one is less noisy but still not anything compared to the one on the right side...is this because the corner of the room is muffling the sound of did i get another lemon?

 

Hmmm. I've had various power heads and magnetic impeller motors for years and only heard them when they were clogged. It may not be the power head that's making the noise, it might be vibrating something else in the tank. Do a test: Lightly touch the motor. Feel the vibration? Now, touch something(s) near the motor. You shouldn't feel any vibration.

 

I think its the glass....when im holding it in "mid water" its much less noise than when its stuck on the glass....but...why wouldnt the other one make any noise?

 

THe other one may be more acoustically isolated from the glass. (It's funny the things I learn from working with former submariners!) Perhaps the suction cups are better, or the plastic frame holding the suction cups to the power head is shaped differently. Look close to make sure no solid part of the "noisy" power head is touching the glass.

 

Nothing but the suction cups are touching the glass...hmmm this is interesting

 

Bruce,
I'm back from a 5-day business trip. Did you ever find out what was making the power head so noisy?

 

Nope, but i got a new one and its not as noisy anymore ^^

 

Well...this is so weird. I moved all my rocks on the left side so none of them were touching the glass...it still made noise...but when i hold the ph in the middle of the tank nothing...what is this....the powerhead is simply vibrating the glass? when i move it from the middle to the glass it starts making noise...why is my other power head (same model) completly silent...why!

 

Have you tried the quiet power head on the side where the noisy one is to see if its the location or the pump?

 

yup, i put the noisy one there and it still makes noise...less but i can still hear it...my other one you cant hear at all...even when everything is off...the lfs said i could try one more of the same (they have one more left) if that still makes noise...lol maybe ill try another brand then ill know for sure.