worth upgrading to dc skimmer for less pump noise ?

[Keeper5221]

Ive recently upgraded my ac return pump to a dc pump and the noise difference is literally night and day. I could not even tell that my return pump is on if it wasnt for the water movement the return pipe gives off. Im wondering if the skimmer would be a similar result its by far the loudest thing in the tank , with it off the only thing i hear is the sound of water surface breaking, its not the loudest thing but definitely hear the hum. Does anyone have experience moving between a ac skimmer and a dc skimmer ? im not to sure if the change in volume would be as drastic since air is added into the mix with a skimmer but without the vibration the skimmer is barely audible. The skimmer i have is a great white gw10 and it works really well, it has rubber feet on the pump and skimmer body so idk what else i could do to reduce vibration noise on it. which is why im considering moving over to the same skimmer but dc version. Any input or advice is welcome.

 

[The_Paradox]

Because of the air/water interface a skimmer is always going to have noise associated with it. To your question it will be quieter but not as big of a difference as the return. The better reason to upgrade is getting AC out of the tank and more controllability.

 

[Keeper5221]

yea thats what i thought , thanks for confirming !

 

[Pntbll687]

If there's a dc version of the skimmer available, just get the pump and swap them out! That's a no brainer. There's some ac pumps that are quiet enough, but dc pumps are quieter 90% of the time.

 

[bratfink]

I just added the aquamaxx Bullet 1 HoB skimmer to my nano. I couldn’t believe the difference it made in quieter operation. Whilst the pump is quieter, I think the biggest difference is the silencer for the air intake.

 

[Keeper5221]

i decided to take the chance and bought the dc version of the skimmer i have , will update here when i have it set up incase anyone else is wondering about the sound difference.

 

[slingfox]

Note also that some skimmers run quieter over time once it has been in the tank long enough to build a slime layer.

 

[Keeper5221]

Update for anyone interested. I went from a great white gw10 ac skimmer to a gw7 dc skimmer of the same brand . I did have the ac skimmer running for over 2 weeks so if should have broken in if it was gonna get any quieter. The body of the skimmer is smaller by a couple inches the ac pump is rated at 800lph while the dc pump is 700lph at max. The noise difference is very very noticeable. The pump sound is completely gone no hum at all. I have to put my head into the cabinet to even hear the sound of the air bubbles. My honest opinion to anyone who says they have noisy pumps is to switch to dc and even if you think you have quite ac pumps i would still make the switch its that drastic of a difference. I didnt think the ac skimmer was very noisy till i switched this dc version on. After switching my return pump and now the skimmer to dc the noise difference is so drastic i honestly wouldnt have believed it if a sales person told me the difference when i was buying things and for the extra $100-200 dollars the dc versions go for i just cant justify not buying dc. If noise is your issue and you have ac skimmer or pumps of any kind i would make the switch. If your from Australia, dalua the maker of the great white skimmer + pump is honestly an amazing brand if this skimmer works as well as the gw10 which i see no reason it shouldnt then great white for the price it goes for has just shot up to my go to. Reviews have had nothing but positives and i can confirm things run very well.