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Noise and slight vibration in water taps

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When you turn a tap on this slight sound/vibration only happens a at a certain flow rate and immediately disappears if you slightly increase or decrease the flow of water via the tap . There is a flip tap in the bathroom and if you flip it to full flow it bypasses the vibration/sound and runs normal.

This sound also appears after a few minutes using a shower that is powered from a motor in the loft.

the noise in the shower continues for about 10/15 seconds after the shower has been turned off.

If you run one tap turned to the the point where the vibration is there and then turn on another tap the vibration sound disappears.

Although I don't think it is connected this sound appeared after a plumber fitted a new valve in the cistern of a toilet he may have used a isolator valve in the pipe that is about 6 inches from the cistern to cut off the water while doing the replacement. When doing this job for some reason he went into the loft where there are a 2 water tanks with ball stop cocks one is about 15x12 inches the other tank is about 36x24 inches. There is a occasional drip from the ball stop **** in the large water tank

I have increased/decreased the water supply via the outside stop **** but that made no difference

 

I would be grateful to hear of any reasons why this vibration/sound is happening and of ways to get rid of it.

 

Thanks

Edited by alankearn

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its called water hammer, caused by air in the system.

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It is the result of your system having a particular harmonic frequency. It is the sort of thing that makes a flute work. Just the right flow rate past one of the joints in the system makes the whole thing "sing".

 

The service valve below the toilet is probably the first place to start. Get ready with a flat bladed screwdriver and flush the toilet. When the noise happens slightly close the valve untill it goes away.

 

If this results in a still OK fill time then job done.

 

If it does not then close the valve and undo the pipe from the toilet side. Possibly you will have to get a plumber in if you are not confident about it. Then get some sort of shard of plastic that is too big to be swept up to block the outlet of the ball valve in the toilet and small enough to get into the pipe. Push it in. Put the pipework back.

 

Hopefully the plastic shard will cause the harmonic note of your syystem to change and not make the noise any more.

 

Continue with other outlets untill the damn thing stops singing!!

 

Good luck.

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Thanks very much for your advice I will follow your instructions but it may be a few days before a can try.

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Had the same problem turned out to be the cartridge in the bathroom tap the noise started when ever a tap was turned on. Found it by accident if the tap was pushed to one side the noise stopped even when the tap wasn't turned on.

Put new cartridge in and no more problems

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Google, "mini rester" i've fitted a few and they seem to work. Can be loads of different things, but more than often its unclipped pipework.

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We get this problem too - quite loud vibration in the pipes, sometimes when running the shower, sometimes when running a cold tap in the kitchen or bathroom. Sounds like air in the pipes so I've tried shutting off the stopcock, draining the pipes, then running the tap in the bathroom in the attic (highest point in the system) to get the air out. It seems to cure the problem for a couple of days then it starts up again.

 

How is air getting in? Only change I can think of that we've changed is that our toilet was overflowing and we (me and my dad) took apart and cleaned the washer in the fill valve - it wasn't closing properly. This fixed the toilet problem but is this related?

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We get this problem too - quite loud vibration in the pipes, sometimes when running the shower, sometimes when running a cold tap in the kitchen or bathroom. Sounds like air in the pipes so I've tried shutting off the stopcock, draining the pipes, then running the tap in the bathroom in the attic (highest point in the system) to get the air out. It seems to cure the problem for a couple of days then it starts up again.

 

How is air getting in? Only change I can think of that we've changed is that our toilet was overflowing and we (me and my dad) took apart and cleaned the washer in the fill valve - it wasn't closing properly. This fixed the toilet problem but is this related?

 

You might want to put an air vent at some sort of highest point in your pipework.

 

Air can get into your pipes if your pressure is lower than the general mains pressure because you are on the high point of the supply pipework and when the pressure is slightly lower air in the water fisses out.

 

Automatic air vents are small, fairly reliable and not too expensive.

 

Although it could be a lot of things........

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I eased off the water pressure slightly at the stopcock. That worked.

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