IRVWPC2 Intelligent RV Water Pump Controller

[ladybird_bus]

Hey folks,

A search has turned up crickets.

Has anyone installed one of these? The noise of my water pump drives me nuts - I've installed a 'silencing kit' with the longer pipes but it doesn't seem to have made much difference. I made a heavy box with sound deadening panels inside and it seemed to make no difference at all. I came across this addition. It's quite spendy but if it solves my problem, since I live in my rig full-time and am often using the tanks for daily water, it might be worth it.

Interested to hear if anyone has installed one and what your experience with it has been? They claim that it regulates the water pressure more efficiently and eliminates the noise..

https://www.irvwpc.com/product-page/intelligent-rv-water-pump-controller-w-right-angle-adapter

 

[Albatross]

What sound is it specifically that is driving you nuts?


If it's the pump itself, then I would check how it is mounted, and you could most likely buy some thick rubber washers to insulate the pump from whatever it is bolted to that is likely causing the noise. I imagine that it's bolted up to something structural, so that everything it touches--and then everything that touches--is acting as an amplifier and speaker for the noise the pump is making. A few good thick pieces of heavy, dense rubber should quiet things down a whole lot.


One of the things I used to be responsible for on a submarine was keeping the sub quiet so that other subs/ships couldn't detect us. I also worked in a recording studio, too, so keeping things quiet is kind of a specialty of mine.


Tell me more about your noise, and how your system is currently set up, or post a video with decent sound and I should be able to help you out.

 

[Rucker]

I put my water pump on a small panel isolated from the cabinetry by bungee cords. I also used flex supply and looped it so even the pump movements don't propagate.

It's a bit of a problem if I want to hear the pump now.

BTW I did the same thing with my diesel heater pump.

Go back to your custom speaker system days, and whatever you did to make those speakers sound louder, do the opposite!

 

[ladybird_bus]

What sound is it specifically that is driving you nuts?


If it's the pump itself, then I would check how it is mounted, and you could most likely buy some thick rubber washers to insulate the pump from whatever it is bolted to that is likely causing the noise. I imagine that it's bolted up to something structural, so that everything it touches--and then everything that touches--is acting as an amplifier and speaker for the noise the pump is making. A few good thick pieces of heavy, dense rubber should quiet things down a whole lot.

Thank you. While I respect your experience, I have actually done all of those things already. It's on several pieces of heavy foam, it's not touching anything structural at all and is on rubber feet. But it is still very obvious when it's running.

I appreciate the advice but I'm actually really just looking for feedback from folk who have tried this particular gadget

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

i have not used that specific product?
a controller is not going to do anything for sound.
do you have flexible braided supply lines on the inlet and outlet of your pump?

 

[ladybird_bus]

i have not used that specific product?
a controller is not going to do anything for sound.
do you have flexible braided supply lines on the inlet and outlet of your pump?

I would really caution against rejecting new ideas and technology instantly without actually looking at them at all. It would seem that this bit of kit does actually work - but I am looking for feedback from folk who've actually installed it. Thanks

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

I would really caution against rejecting new ideas and technology instantly without actually looking at them at all. It would seem that this bit of kit does actually work - but I am looking for feedback from folk who've actually installed it. Thanks

sorry but not rejecting new ideas.
i have some (28 years) experience building and working on commercial/industrial water systems that include Variable frequency drives (VFD/VSD) that control the speed of pumps.
sure turning the speed of the pump down will quiet it down some but you wont maintain the GPM that the operating GPM needs to be.
in an RV your pump maintains a pressure and turns on and off with a set pressure.
thats all you need in an open loop system.
use an expansion tank and let the pump pressurize the tank.
most pump noise are either the pump itself is mounted ridgid and transfers the vibration through it mounts, the piping is ridgid with no fleax connector and transfers the vibration through the piping or has dry bearing which should have been self lubricating or have had fitting to lubricate them but a straight coupled pump domestic/potable water pump should be self lubricating.
not knocking new technology i am working on programming a brand new Domestic water booster pump right now for 2 four story barracks. and the controller is so new only the manufacturer knows the program and even then when there is a problem there tech support cant help you have to download a trend on a thumb drive and send it to them and they give it to there engineer who looks at the trends tweaks the program and emails it back with a try this and if you still have problems send it back. cant get a field engineer from them on site.
anyway keep it simple without the electronic stuff and lets figure out why your pump is so loud.
can you post a video of its install and the sounds its making thats driving you up the wall.

 

[Iceni John]

You've not said anywhere what make and model of pump you have that's so noisy. Without that all-important information there's not much we can help you with.

I have two SHURflo 2088 pumps, the basic non-electronic cheap-and-cheerful ones that SHURflo's made for umpteen years, and each one is mounted on an easily detachable aluminum plate with some high-density foam underneath. I can barely hear them inside. Having a good pressure accumulator tank also helps: mine is a 2-gallon Watts DET-5, and it eliminates the constant on-off-on-off hunting that most pumps do, so it should also prolong my pumps' lives.

John

 

[ladybird_bus]

You've not said anywhere what make and model of pump you have that's so noisy. Without that all-important information there's not much we can help you with.

I have two SHURflo 2088 pumps, the basic non-electronic cheap-and-cheerful ones that SHURflo's made for umpteen years, and each one is mounted on an easily detachable aluminum plate with some high-density foam underneath. I can barely hear them inside. Having a good pressure accumulator tank also helps: mine is a 2-gallon Watts DET-5, and it eliminates the constant on-off-on-off hunting that most pumps do, so it should also prolong my pumps' lives.

John

That's because I am not asking for advice about how to silence my pump. I have already tried every single mod suggested by people making suggestions. I am only asking for feedback from someone who has tried the unit I'm interested in. And I've mentioned that several times but still keep getting responses suggesting things I am not asking about.

 

[desrtdog]

Doesn’t appear that anyone has tried this before… but it does seem like you’ve already made up your mind on what you want to do and are just looking for some evidence to support your confirmation bias. I’d say just buy it, install it and see if it works…and let us know.

Also, would have helped if you shared a pic of your current setup.

 

[ladybird_bus]

Doesn’t appear that anyone has tried this before… but it does seem like you’ve already made up your mind on what you want to do and are just looking for some evidence to support your confirmation bias. I’d say just buy it, install it and see if it works…and let us know.

Also, would have helped if you shared a pic of your current setup.

I don't think you understand what the term 'confirmation bias' means.

This post is literally me just looking for any feedback, positive or negative, on this particular piece of equipment.

I have no bias.

 

[desrtdog]

I don't think you understand what the term 'confirmation bias' means.

This post is literally me just looking for any feedback, positive or negative, on this particular piece of equipment.

I have no bias.

You don’t seem to be very receptive to any of the suggestions posted here, nor to answering the questions posted by others trying to help, but rather only want specific data about a specific potential option…so yeah, maybe not confirmation bias in a strict sense, but certainly not very open minded. If you were to post a pic of your current system, then maybe, just maybe, someone here could see something that perhaps you haven’t…

…but maybe I’m wrong and you’ve already explored all other options…

 

[Kentucky Dreaming]

I don't have a dawg in this fight, but my late granny would say, "Y'all play purty, now."

 

[Iceni John]

That's because I am not asking for advice about how to silence my pump. I have already tried every single mod suggested by people making suggestions. I am only asking for feedback from someone who has tried the unit I'm interested in. And I've mentioned that several times but still keep getting responses suggesting things I am not asking about.

A controller, "intelligent" or otherwise, cannot "eliminate the noise", even if it costs $200. The noise you're hearing is NOT because your pump doesn't have some overpriced microchip telling it when and how to run. Sometimes things are not what they seem. (OK, in the world of bus conversions, that's usually the case...) Maybe it's something as simple as a bad bearing or loose brushes, or a harmonic resonance in your pipes: these are all very easy quick fixes that a $200 box of tricks will do tiddly-squat to help with. Merely throwing money at a problem is not a wise way to fix things.

There's a wealth of real-world experience and down-to-earth common sense on this forum from folk who maybe even use the exact same pump as yours, but you seem to enjoy shunning their wisdom and concern for you. We've tried, but to no avail. Good luck.

John

 

[Albatross]

When I was a submariner, I was in the division responsible for identifying anything that made noise and correcting it or notifying the division responsible. Learning how to do this was literally several weeks in my military training.



One of the things that we learned is that sound is created by mechanical means; a noisy pump will always be noisy, so most of our equipment is designed in such a way as to eliminate as much noise as possible, and the other part was, when we have to run equipment like a diesel that will simply always make noise because of how it works, is how to identify ways to keep them as quiet as possible and also how to hide that noise. No amount of "controller" will change the mechanics of a thing unless that thing was designed to allow for the controller to change something about it--and even then, it's still just the same old motors, pistons, springs, hydraulics, and other moving parts that exerts the change, and the controller is merely the impetus for initiating that change--usually triggered with some sort of sensor.


A water-pump is simply a motor with some fins around it instead of a wheel. It's not that complicated, and there really isn't anything to it. So if what you're hearing isn't some kind of scratch, shriek, grinding, or moaning... then the noise isn't caused by your pump, and nothing will change that. And even if it is one of those sounds, then it's likely that changing the operating parameters is going to do much about it. And that is all that any controller can really do; change the frequency/speed of the pump, or change the operating time if it's got the ability to read the pressure sensor.

Most of the noise in RV water pumps comes from the water itself moving through the pipes, unless there is something wrong with the pump motor itself.

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

never a submariner but as a marine recon swimmer i was on a few.
regardless i build water pump mechanical rooms for a living and as i stated before and as you stated submariner a controller or in my case a variable speed drive will not get rid of pump noise.
dont know the OP's product she/they are wanting to buy but i see it as a waste of money.
in regards you can not run the line voltage wiring in the same conduit as the load side(motor wiring) from any pump speed controller. they have issues just like running 12v or milliamp wiring in the same conduit? they dont play well together.
ladybird if you want to try it then go for it and when you get things worked out let us know.
not trying to be critical or rude but you havent posted pics of your install whether good bad or ugly? we dont care whether private message or on this thread we can give you ideas that might help but saying it makes a noise that is driving you crazy and not knowing how you have it installed or the sound it is that you dont like.
what is that sound in a video or recorder.
a little help from you will help us help you. we cant give you a product review for a product that is not needed on 99.9% of RV water pumps. maybe you have something that the manufacturer thought was the latest and greatest good idea but its not.
you have got to help us help you.
review of a product that no was has ever used on this forum is going nowhere? there is probably a reason why? its not needed.
pics of install and audio will help us help you from sending your money in the wrong direction.