[Derby]

I'm asking because I set up the 402B and there is a definite motor hum sound. Not air or rattling. Just a humming that I can hear from across the room (good hearing). I am trying to decide if I should return for a replacement (amazon prime) or just suck it up if SunSun is too low end to be quieter. The low cost was the only way I could justify getting the filter.

My penguin biowheel is actually quieter than the canister and its hum is camoflaged by the slight trickle of water.

Thanks for sharing one way or the other!

 

[lksdrinker]

Mine doesn't seem to make much noise. But thats in a basement fishroom with multiple tanks making various noises, a large diaphragm air pump buzzing away and then the household goodies like my furnace, washer, dryer etc. But I dont think the sun sun is any more or less audible then say a comparable fulval canister or even an aquaclear HOB when they rattle a bit.

 

[Doogy262]

I have two 303"s that are virtually silent. they are in the same room and I have to check the flow to make sure there working.

 

[easternlethal]

I'm asking because I set up the 402B and there is a definite motor hum sound.

I have a sunsun and eheim and they are definitely louder than eheim. My tank is in my living room which is dead silent and you can definitely hear a slight hum - not as loud as a fridge or condenser however, but definitely noticeable in a very quiet environment.

 

[WaterLife]

My experience is the same as Doogy. I have SunSun 304B's are they are all extremely silent. I too have to look at the surface agitation to tell if they are running. Even from a foot away I can't tell they are running. No mechanical vibration or electrical buzz or any hum noises at all. I have good hearing as well, though I am not overly annoyed by slight noise like some people, but still my canisters are silent.

Only time they make noise is if they have air trapped inside. Tip the canister front, back, side to side to let air escape. Or maybe something is contacting the impeller (I've never had this happen). Or maybe the canister is touching something and sending vibrations out.

I've tried finding example of the lack of noise mine make on youtube vids, but they all seem to have a faint hum, which mine don't have. Not sure why is that. Back when I first bought my canisters over a couple years ago, there was a video that had a dead silent SunSun just like mine, but I didn't manage to find it with the couple quick searches I did. I don't place mine on any dampening material (not even a towel) or anything. Mine are even under the tanks on open stands (just framing, not enclosed). Some are sitting on wood on the room floor or on a plywood sheet on a metal stand. I've tried mine jampacked with media, little to no media, under tank, even level head height and still no noise. And yep, I have tested it in a dead silent room, even at night, even with nothing, but the canister running.

How bad is the hum? Is it like typical noises as heard in youtube videos? If so, then maybe some just do for whatever reason have that hum and returning/exchanging it might not help. But if it is obviously louder than the vids, maybe there is some slight quality control issues that is causing the noise. Try placing a towel under the canister if you want to see if that helps.

 

[Diana]

Is it sitting on something that could be enhancing the sound? Maybe add a bit of a cushion such as a bit of styrofoam, or a rubber mat.

 

[easternlethal]

I have SunSun 304B's are they are all extremely silent.

if that's true then maybe the latter models are a bit noisier. I have a 704.

 

[Derby]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and tips. I have tried putting it on a pad. It is definitely a motor hum and not the unit vibrating. It is not as loud as the youtube videos that I watched where people were complaining of noise. The light water trickle from my HOB pretty much hides the noise and my original plan was to have both filters running anyway. My husband doesn't think it is too loud. I'll have to think about what I want to do.

 

[burr740]

My 304B is virtually silent.

It hummed a bit when it was brand new, and sometimes after a good cleaning it will be louder for a few days. I think they become quieter after a good bio-film establishes on everything, specifically on the prop and it's chamber area.

 

[WaterLife]

Well mine are silent I know that at least. Can't speak for everyone. I've looked at some youtube videos (even with titles not complaining of noises) and many of those were still the same model as mine (304B) and even the newer 404B's, yet they definitely had a hum noise that was audible in the video that might do not make. I do know some of the noises in the video were their air pumps running, but still some of them seemed the canister did have a slight hum. Mine don't, and I am being completely honest, that's all I can say.

Ah, that may be a possible reason that Burr mentioned, biofilm. But my filters were silent from day one. Even tested them in sinks before running them on my tanks. Now that I think of it, I did/do lube my canisters with petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Maybe that's why (creates better seals and reduces friction)

 

[Derby]

@WaterLife I've no doubt yours is silent! I may try the vaseline. Do you just lube the seal or also the impeller. I opened the impeller housing and pulled gently on it and it did not want to come out, so I left it alone. I'm probably being finicky about the noise cause I was expecting it to be quieter than my HOB.

 

[WaterLife]

I lubed the impeller magnet, and the shaft the impeller sits on. As well as lubing all rubber gaskets (head unit "O"-ring, quick release valve gaskets) and and connections (where tubing/hose connects to input/out pipes and the quick release connections (that's all I can think of from the top of my head, but pretty much lube any rubber and/or connections (friction points) you see). I was pretty generous when applying the lube haha. Haven't had it cause any issues with clogging things up and it's non-toxic so it's safe. It lasts at least a year (depending how many times you open the canister up) before you may consider reapplying.

The impeller is being held down there by a magnet, so it can take a little effort to get it out. Do try and lift it out evenly. Once it's lubed, it makes it easier to slide it out.

 

[ichy]

mine is very quite.

Bump: mine is very quite.

 

[ThePlantedMedic]

I have a 304B and without water movement in my tank I would not even know it was running. It is under a cabinet with a door but the back is open and away from the wall. Whisper quiet. Sometimes a hum after restarting if I didnt prime enough.

 

[Derby]

@WaterLife What lubricant did you use? It's a little louder today. I jostled it to get every last bit of air out, so I know it's not air. I'll try lubing and if that doesn't make it quieter, I will return and try something different.

 

[WaterLife]

@Derby I used 100% Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline). I just used the generic brand "Equate" at Walmart.
I gooped enough of the jelly everywhere to fill any gaps and then some.

After you let all the trapped air escape, wait an hour or how ever long and try tipping the unit again to see if more air comes out, meaning it's constantly taking in air.
I guess you could also try tapping around the outside of the head unit (while it's assembled to the canister) to see if you seal any air/"vacuum" gaps (if you do, it should get quieter, assuming there isn't a bunch of air trapped in the head).

When you take the head unit off the canister, you could give it a shake and listen if there is anything loose in there.

But I am not sure if this lube is what made my canister silent or not. Not sure if the others who also have theirs silent, lubed theirs up or not. If it works out, then cool.

 

[Liplant]

My sun sun is dead quiet
In my living room

 

[Derby]

I lubed the impeller with Vaseline tonight and it is significantly quieter. I can still hear it, but it is now quieter than the Penguin 200. If it gets loud again in a couple of days, I will return it. But hopefully this will suffice!

In other news, the greenish yellow tint to my water, which was either algae or tannins, has entirely cleared up in the last 36 hours. Don't know if it was the purigen in the canister or the UV light. I suspect it was tannin/purigen though.

 

[WaterLife]

The UV light on the SunSun (9v) isn't powerful enough to be classified as a sterilizer (killing free floating pathogens), but it can be considered a clarifier, in which it can kill free floating algae (green water). I bet it was the UV that eliminated the green algae water.

Yellowy tint though, that might be from tannins (got driftwood, leaves, etc?), which Purigen would be the one absorbing that.

Nice to hear the vaseline quieted the canister down. But if it's still noisier than most, it might of just been manufactured slightly out of spec. You could try returning it and getting another one if you want in case yours just had a slight flaw. Or go with another brand.

 

[krlw]

Only time mine gets noisy is if it's got trapped air.

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