loud noise and leaky pipes

I have two questions. 1. My pipes make a loud noise whenever i use a large amount of water. It is a shrieking humming type of sound that sounds as if it is coming out of every other major water faucet. It stops the second i shut off the water.

2. I have an outside sprinkler faucet. Just inside the wall is seperate shut off valve on the 1/2 inch copper pipe. The inside valve doesn't shut 100% tight. When i close the inside valve and open the outside, it has a very slow leak. What is the best way to winterize the outdoor faucet?

Thanks,

avi

A defective PRV could cause noises like that. Or, the main shutoff not being fully opened.

You need to replace or repair the inside shutoff, or, replace the outside faucet with a frost free sillcock. A frostfree sillcock is designed with the acutal shutoff mechanism inside of the wall with a long stem to the valve. When you turn it off (as long as you don't have a hose on the end to trap water), it drains (assuming you install it with the proper slope) from the valve. The longest I've seen, but I've not really looked hard, is 12", so that would put the shutoff 12" from the outside face.

Oddly enough, the two problems may be related. The humming or screeching can be caused by a loose part vibrating somewhere in the system. Sometimes, that can be a gate in a gate valve or a part in another type of valve. There can be other causes but there's no sense going into them unless these turn out to be dead ends. One common problem was the threads in old seat and washer faucets - the threads would get worn over time and allow movement. Toilet valves commonly cause this problem, and that's why most ball-float-type fill valves have that extra screw to prevent full open flow.

On old galvanized systems, this type of vibration was pretty harmless though annoying, but on copper pipe systems it can be damaging because pipe can wear through at stress points like hangers.

Just inside the wall is seperate shut off valve on the 1/2 inch copper pipe. The inside valve doesn't shut 100% tight.

Click to expand...

Replace with a nice new 1/4 turn ball valve.

What is the best way to winterize the outdoor faucet?

Click to expand...

Frost free sillcock. The best choice.

Check all your old valves to make sure they are open and working right. Replace any that don't work.
You can slowly find the problem one by turning off and on each valve. This will also help you find any that need to be replaced.

Best way to winterize outdoor faucet

The best way to winterize an outdoor faucet is by using an air compressor. You might need an adaptor to connect your air compressor to the outdoor faucet. Just remember to shut off the main and open a valve to allow the water and air to purge out.