I have a 0.5hp pond pump, powering my backyard water features. My pump is actually very quiet - quieter than the natural sound of the running water, so you don't notice it.
The pump circulates 960 gallons per hour (16 gallons per minute) at a maximum pressure rating of 55psi - which is more than enough to run my two waterfalls (which dump into a shared pond).
(I also have a 1 gallon canister filter in front of the pump, so the pump gets clean water input.)
My pump has 1-inch female NPT/IPS ports, where I have screwed brass fittings.
The pump sucks water out of the pond, simple enough.
The pump sends water into a brass t-joint, splitting the water flow into two pipes, with one pipe feeding each waterfall.
The two waterfalls are at different elevations (about 24 vertical inches difference), so the lower waterfall naturally receives almost all the water flow by default, and the upper waterfall receives effectively zero pressure.
So I installed a simple brass valve into the pipe feeding the lower waterfall, which I can partially close on a permanent basis, restricting water flow to the lower waterfall, and forcing some pressure to be diverted to the upper waterfall.
By carefully adjusting this valve, I can dial-in exactly the correct balance of pressure/flow between the two waterfalls.
This is working great.
However, as the title suggests, this partially-open valve is making a LOT of noise - much louder than the pump itself, and louder than the running water, so it's impossible to ignore and very annoying.
I tried a ball-valve first which was very loud, and then I tried a gate-valve which was about 2/3 as noisy - an improvement, but not good enough.
What is the best way to make the valve quieter?
- Is there a different type of valve/regulator I should use instead of simple brass valves?
- Or can I wrap the valve in sound-absorbing material with adhesive? (Must be waterproof and outdoor-rated.)
- Or is there something else I can do?