High Tide Aquatics

Jebao powerhead

These things are kind of loud. You can constantly hear the powerhead turning on and off. Is this typical of all powerheads, or are some just louder?
 
Is the powerhead DC, AC?
If DC, make sure the power plug into the controller is properly attached.
Most AC pumps I believe are not designed to have constant on/off cycles. There’s only one controller for AC pumps that I know is “ok” to use with AC powerheads, it does not turn pumps on/off, rather lowers the voltage alternating between the outlets to create “waves”. Is the Seio Wave Maker but not sure if it works with other pumps; I mean if is straight AC controller, it should work with simple AC pumps to my understanding. I’ve never put it to work but maybe I should dig it out and test it with Koralia AC pumps.
I assume your pumps are new, right?
Recently I serviced a DC pump, a Vectra. It would try to start, then make a clicking noise. It had some Calcium buildup on the shaft and that was the cause of the pump not working. Your pumps should have a free spinning impeller, either the shaft be completely free or in some cases where the shaft and impeller are not free-moving, the assembly should spin freely on the ceramic bearings.
 
They’re dc powerheads and brand new. Maybe I’m just being picky, but I can hear these things across the room and over the tv, dryer, washing machine, dishwasher, etc... maybe they need time to break in?
 
If you have more than 1 of the same kind, do they all make the same amount of noise? If so, it’s just how they are, and probably too loud for your taste.

I personally hate loud pumps and I pay a premium to have quiet ones. I don’t buy Jebao, because they are the cheapest option and have a reputation to match. Other people are happy with them, and that’s fine too. But there’s a reason why some other pumps are many times more expensive and selling well.
 
If you have more than 1 of the same kind, do they all make the same amount of noise? If so, it’s just how they are, and probably too loud for your taste.

I personally hate loud pumps and I pay a premium to have quiet ones. I don’t buy Jebao, because they are the cheapest option and have a reputation to match. Other people are happy with them, and that’s fine too. But there’s a reason why some other pumps are many times more expensive and selling well.

Yeah. Both of them sound the same. I’m hoping they break in and quiet down. If not, I think my wife will throw them out the window. A large part of the reason for putting our sump in the garage was to reduce equipment noise, so these really stand out with no other equipment competing with them.
 
Yeah, it really is hit or miss when you go with ultra-cheap pumps. The parts are not going to be of the highest quality, the manufacturing tolerances aren't going to be of the highest quality, overall it really can be one of those "you get what you pay for". I used to use them, because cheap makes it worth it, and they'd go fine for about a year, sometimes they require a little finagling to make them work properly/quietly/etc, but what common thing I noticed is the suction cup rubber part behind the magnet... managed to rub off black on my fingers/hand when I touched it... meaning it was actually disintigrating in the tank due to water, now there's tiny pieces of waste I'd rather not have in the tank, meanwhile a 5+ year old Koralia pump that has a similar magnet/suction cup design is fine, then it makes me wonder how good is that epoxy coating the motor, any nasty crap going to leach into my tank? It's little things like this that has made me lean away from the "super cheap" even if it is a good deal.
 
I think we’re gonna give them a few days and see if they quiet down. If not, then we’re likely going to look into getting different powerheads.
 
Funny:
The Jebao I tried was super quiet.
The Rosemont I tried was noisy and junk.

It is so random. It also varies a LOT by model.

I generally stick to Tunze AC pumps these days.
Not the quietest, but good enough.
Not cheap, but not way overpriced.
Reliable, and you can get replacement impellers.
Not the lowest power, but good enough.
Not programmable, but do you really need that?
Very easy to point in any direction.
Handle thick glass.
 
rygh said:
I generally stick to Tunze AC pumps these days.
Handle thick glass.
I remember the one I got, forgot the model number definitely not one of the nanostreams, but it was a new batch and the got cheap and put weaker magnets that could only hang onto 1/2" glass instead od 3/4" that earlier models could do. and they werent even that strong (magnet) like it barely hung on. of course this was a LeeMar tank and their glass has a history of behaving funny with magnets.
 
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