Building an enclosure for the treatment plant air pump - ideas and tips?

[Tom]

Hi all. I've got to get round to building a soundproof enclosure for our treatment plant air pump as I'm fed up with the faint drone when I'm sat outside.

We've got a Conder, so the air pump currently sits under the main lid of the unit. I'm thinking I need to build a structure with some mass to prevent transmission of sound, so was thinking I'd pour a small slab, say 50cm2, then build a tiny enclosure with concrete blocks. I guess I'd include a short length of ducting up through the slab for the power and air hose. Is this the right way to go? I'm not sure what I'd use for a "door" on the front, or what to use as a roof - I have some (block and) beam offcuts so could use these to make a flat solid concrete roof perhaps, with some corrugated tin over the top.

Has anyone built their own enclosure, have any tips for what works well or even some pictures? 

Thanks all!

[ProDave]

Before you get too carried away, I quietened our Conder simply by placing a standard 100mm concrete block in the chamber so the pump sits on that now, not the plastic that it used to sit on.

 

Still not silent but a LOT quieter.

[JohnMo]

Ours is a separate box really noisy so buried the bottom part in soil - way less noise - most the noise is vibration induced.

[Gone West]

Our box was remote and designed to be half buried in soil. It was quiet if more than a metre away.

[Nickfromwales]

23 hours ago, Tom said:

with some corrugated tin over the top

Don't use this, as it will be thin enough to be a resonator / acoustic radiator. Concrete paving slab would be weathertight and have some weight to it to help out here.

[saveasteading]

It's poor if they haven't designed the pump to be quiet. It is probably cobbled in to the already designed tank as an afterthought, with plastic and screws.

I agree with the earth and concrete slab principle if that works.

[Alan Ambrose]

I'm wondering whether modulating the speed down, if that's possible, will make it quieter?

[Nickfromwales]

26 minutes ago, Alan Ambrose said:

I'm wondering whether modulating the speed down, if that's possible, will make it quieter?

That would be in 'violation' of the MI's?

 

Deal with the noise pragmatically, and don't compromise the functionality of the STP!!!

 

If folk are reading this, ahead of an intended install, then they will be forewarned / forearmed sufficiently to avoid the issue with more robust methodology.