Noisy Airstones - Loft grow !!!

[takeiteazy]

Hi

My air stones (ceramic) cause a 'humming/drone' noise which anyone can notice, the airpump is totally silent.

I did get some Eheim Adjustable Air Diffusors and they were totally silent, just like an air stone but adjustable but have suction cups.

The problem is the suction come loose after a couple of hours and if ONE comes loose and floats to top of bucket (5 gallon) they ALL loose pressure /bubbles and plants will die !!!

Is there a way around this guys ?

Cheers

 

[Scrogerman]

Never heard of an adjustable airstone before, ill have to go take a look, not that i wouldnt have them on full blast anyway. A little trick i found works really well in Tote DWC is hanging the stones inside the tote with 20lb test fishing line trippled up, worked well & didnt dissolve or anything. Reduced noise by 50-75%, made hellava difference. Placing a few layers of foam under pots/totes also serves to reduce noise a little. Common problem with bubblers.
Try to get better suction cups bro, might be an idea too.
Hope that helps. G'Luck!

 

[takeiteazy]

Cheers.

I have just come across 'snap suction cups' like ones for satnav mounts etc.

Or i could just feed the airline in at top of bucket so airstone is suspended on airline in centre of bucket/off the floor of bucket.

 

[Super.Seeds]

takeiteazy,

Here are a couple options:
-Remove water and dry your reservoir(s)...then superglue suction cups to bottom...This works for sure. This will not solve the noise issue but will keep the suction cup from coming off an hour later.

-When I was growing in a loft I had to put a towel under the reservoir and under the air pumps since I too could hear the humming/drone...The towels added a vibration buffer between the floor and reservoir, and floor and air pump.

If you do those two things you should be fine. If you don't want to change your airstones back to the one with suction cups then don't...I think the problem could be solved with just the towels. I hope this helps!!

SS

 

[DigDuggreen]

I use a hot glue gun to glue the hose down about an inch away from the end so the stone can float a little, it works great, its non toxic, and not to difficult to pull away if you want to take it out. Ill definitely have to try the towel thing cause, the humming doesnt bother me but it drives the ole lady nuts and therefore... well you know the story

 

[takeiteazy]

I use a hot glue gun to glue the hose down about an inch away from the end so the stone can float a little, it works great, its non toxic, and not to difficult to pull away if you want to take it out. Ill definitely have to try the towel thing cause, the humming doesnt bother me but it drives the ole lady nuts and therefore... well you know the story

Stones don't float though, slightly confused...lol

I was thinking of suspending mine ?

Cheers

 

[Scrogerman]

Stones don't float though, slightly confused...lol

I was thinking of suspending mine ?

Cheers

You will be pleased at the result bro, Strong lb test fishing line works just great doubled/tripled up, hang stones 1-2" off the base, disc stones work v-well in Pot style bubblers. Hanging pumps with a Bungie cord or rubber works a treat too. I use old cushion foam x3 to sit tubs/pots on, & cover foam in plastic ect, easy to keep clean then.
G'Luck Man, where theres will there a way.

 

[Greenwich Pope]

Double-sided foam tape, they sell a 'water-proof' version.

 

[flat3ric]

Double-sided foam tape, they sell a 'water-proof' version.

Is that adhesive something I'd be wanting to ingest?

 

[Señor Chang]

I like the hot glue gun idea.
Just be sure not to melt your airline with the hot glue.
What I used to do was to get a "T" end for the airline and use no airstone.
The airline would be weighted down by 3 or 4 nuts that the airline can slip thru then the "T"
I believe you could do the same thing with your set-up, just no "T" and use the airstone to secure the nuts.
On a side note, having a small fan blowing on the intake to your airpump goes a long way to keeping your air cool.
Good luck with your set-up

 

[jammie]

gave up on airstones 5 years back and my plants never missed them. i use a small metal clip to hold my airlines down. i found that the back pressure from the stones decreased airflow and made the airpump run hotter.

 

[Greenwich Pope]

Is that adhesive something I'd be wanting to ingest?

only ever used it in automotive.tore a piece off in my mouth once but didn't ingest it
just tryna help sorry dont have the naswer for you

 

[Evil6]

Great ideas to reduce noise and increase efficiency guys. Keep em coming, I've been taking notes. Making a hydro cab as stealthy as possible isn't as easy as I first imagined, I suppose that's a reason why not alot of people get into hydro.

 

[jammie]

if your looking to reduce noise, remember to hang your airpump from a bungy cord