# Quietest Circulators.........



## BoilerMan (Dec 22, 2012)

I'm asking to all who have expierence with different Manufacturers and types of circulators.  I've always been a Taco guy (pun intended) for various reasons.  I'm looking for first hand expierence with Taco, Wilo, Grundfos, B&G.......   Are the ECM types any quieter? I know the wattage is lower vs. output.  I know there seems to be some circs that are just loud out of the box, and some of same brand and # and are quieter.  Had loud ones run for many many years, and quiet ones fail and vice versa.
I'm working on a job that customer is hesitant to use hydronics in his house (heater solely by wood stove now) he wants something quiet like almost silent, this will be a basement install going to pipe for future gasser as well as the condensing LP boiler.  Definatly going ZV with PR circ.  Low temp systems are install progress.  Thoughts?

TS


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## heaterman (Dec 23, 2012)

All the residential sized wet rotor circs are quiet if sized properly. Cavitation and flow velocity are the two main causes of noise.

That being said, if you are using ZV's a variable speed circ is the only way to go.


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## timberr (Dec 23, 2012)

I use Grundfos UPSP15-58 FC 3 Speed circs (4 on my system), I have to touch the motor to tell if they are running. Way quieter then the Taco that was on my old oil burner, but in all fairness that one was 22 years old.

Have a Merry Christmas ALL!


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## Bob Rohr (Dec 23, 2012)

timberr said:


> I use Grundfos UPSP15-58 FC 3 Speed circs (4 on my system), I have to touch the motor to tell if they are running. Way quieter then the Taco that was on my old oil burner, but in all fairness that one was 22 years old.
> 
> Have a Merry Christmas ALL!


 
I feel that the Grundfos pumps are built to the most precise tolerances, and are the quietest.  The design of the impellers, volute machining and outer motor casing just seem to be well built.  I was at the Grundfos Fresno, California plant a few years back.  I watched them building the 15-58 and there is a lot of attention to quality control.

I would agree the Alpha is an excellent choice, I just bought 4 of the to upgrade every pump in my system and on the solar also.

I have a Taco Bumblebee on my system now, it is extremely noisey on the two highest speeds, for some reason, a whirling noise of some sort.

The blower motor in the mod con boiler that they add will be the loudest component in the system.  seems the brands of boilers with the plastic outer cases dampen that noise best.


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## R Mannino (Dec 23, 2012)

I'm with Heaterman and you can put the ZV's on the supply if you want with no banging.

View attachment 86080


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## Fred61 (Dec 23, 2012)

I have 3 Grundfos 15-18 circs on my distribution lines and they make more noise than the 007 Tacos I have in my boiler loop. I have to feel for vibration to tell if they're running. You wanna know what's really noisy. The local oil company installed a new oil boiler shortly before I purchased this house and mounted four 007s vertically (motor down) on the output. They were hung from the floor joists and actually vibrated the whole house. My bed sits right above them.


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## maple1 (Dec 23, 2012)

I had two B&G's on my old system, now have three Grundfoss.

I have never heard them running from anywhere else but right beside them - sometimes with my ear up against them. Silence is good, but sometimes just a little bit of noise would be nice so you know they're running. The only other noise I've ever had was some gurgling from air working its way through. Based on that, I would consider hydronic circulator noise to be a non-issue - especially if the second choice would happen to be a forced air system? I don't think I've seen a forced air system that I'd consider close to 'silent'.


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## BoilerMan (Dec 23, 2012)

It will definatly be a VS pump as noted in the OP. Heaterman, as I recall you use alot of Wilo stuff, anr those the same type of wet-rotor as all the others? I have always liked the Taco replaceable carteridge but always wondered if the design made them any noisier. I've had many 007s that were super-quiet and a few that were "loud". I know pipeing transfers the vibrations and this will all be copper pipe mounted on plywood on a foamed basement wall on unistrut. Pex from there. Ant other expierence is welcome and apreciated! Thanks to all the replies!  Btw Caleffi ZV, love those things slow closure and 4 wire for low noise.

TS


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## flyingcow (Dec 23, 2012)

I've got both Grundafoss and Taco's. You got to have the house quiet to hear them run. And have got to listen closely.


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## huffdawg (Dec 23, 2012)

Bob Rohr said:


> I feel that the Grundfos pumps are built to the most precise tolerances, and are the quietest. The design of the impellers, volute machining and outer motor casing just seem to be well built. I was at the Grundfos Fresno, California plant a few years back. I watched them building the 15-58 and there is a lot of attention to quality control.
> 
> I would agree the Alpha is an excellent choice, I just bought 4 of the to upgrade every pump in my system and on the solar also.
> 
> ...


 
I have an alpha 15-58 and a regular 15-58 . they both seem to make a considerable level of noise.   The reg. 15-58 is my storage pump circ. and the alpha is on a loop supplying the house , they are both on 1-1/4  piping.

Huff


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## flyingcow (Dec 23, 2012)

heaterman said:


> All the residential sized wet rotor circs are quiet if sized properly. Cavitation and flow velocity are the two main causes of noise.


 

I think we're coming all back to this statement.


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## KenLockett (Dec 23, 2012)

timberr said:


> I use Grundfos UPSP15-58 FC 3 Speed circs (4 on my system), I have to touch the motor to tell if they are running. Way quieter then the Taco that was on my old oil burner, but in all fairness that one was 22 years old.
> 
> Have a Merry Christmas ALL!


 
Same here.  Have 15-58 and have a little indirect AC probe that I hold near the case to tell if its running.  Very quiet and multi-speed is nice to.


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## Bob Rohr (Dec 23, 2012)

huffdawg said:


> I have an alpha 15-58 and a regular 15-58 . they both seem to make a considerable level of noise. The reg. 15-58 is my storage pump circ. and the alpha is on a loop supplying the house , they are both on 1-1/4 piping.
> 
> Huff


 
It doesn't take much to make a pump noisey!  A small piece of teflon tape lodged in the impeller is enough to throw any pump out of balance and set up a vibration.  If any copper or steel pipe that touches the building framing then you will transmit that noise.

I've found solder balls, copper shavings, teflon tape, wood chips, gobs of that waxy solder flux, you name it, stuck in the vanes of impellers.

Usually it something stuck in the impeller or some rouge air bubbles that cause pumps to make noise.


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## peakbagger (Dec 24, 2012)

Keep the velocity low in the piping, switch to PEX from copper or steel( if possible) and banish any standard elbows. Use line size ball valves for isolation and on/off control and control the flow with a Variable speed pump. All this costs money and generally most owners and suppliers are fixed on first cost so they make a compromise.


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