Machine Gun Shower

Dachd · Jun 17, 2011

Hello,

I live in a ranch house on a slab (NW AR), when the shower in the bathroom @ one end of the house is used, you can distinctly hear a rapid tapping/banging in the pipes @ the other end of the house. At first I thought it was a leaky diverter spout valve, so I removed the spout and capped the pipe that the spout was connected to.

The noise still occurs, so I'm stumped. Could it be the mixing valve? Any other ideas?

Thanks,
Dave

LLigetfa · Jun 17, 2011

Does the house have a pressure regulator? Those are known to make a hammer drill like noise.

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

Dachd · Jun 17, 2011

Actually, the pipe tapping/banging sound is more like a slow jackhammer, somewhere between a handheld jackhammer (street worker) and a jackhammer attachment on a large track/backhoe. Definitely pipes at the other end of the house from the shower getting shaken.

Dachd · Jun 17, 2011

I don't think there's a pressure reg, and only one of the two showers in the house does it, no other problems with pipe noise in the house.

Cwhyu2 · Jun 17, 2011

If it is a two handle faucet it may have a loose washer.They will make that noise.

Dachd · Jun 17, 2011

cwhyu2 said:
If it is a two handle faucet it may have a loose washer.They will make that noise.

Sorry, I should have specified, it's a single handle, and it's probably under 10 years old (if that means anything).

Cwhyu2 · Jun 17, 2011

Can you tell me what brand and if it is a pressure balance faucet,anti scald type?
Can you send a picture?

DonL · Jun 17, 2011

If you are on your own water well then You might want to check your water tank, and make sure it is not water logged.

That could be the problem that you describe.

Have a good day.

DonL

Dachd · Jun 17, 2011

DonL said:
If you are on your own water well then You might want to check your water tank, and make sure it is not water logged.

That could be the problem that you describe.

Have a good day.

DonL

Thanks DonL, we're on city water.

Dachd · Jun 17, 2011

cwhyu2 said:
Can you tell me what brand and if it is a pressure balance faucet,anti scald type?
Can you send a picture?

I'm pretty sure it's a no-name brand (cheap builder stuff?), and yes it is an anti scald pb type....I'll try to post pics later today or tomorrow.

DonL · Jun 17, 2011

If you are on a city system, and do not have a regulator, Then it would be best to install one.

That may fix it.

DonL

DanT · Jun 17, 2011

the house we moved into last year had a noise when we would run water. turned out to be the water meter. the guy that changed it said he had changed a lot of them.

Dachd · Jun 17, 2011

Okay,

Here's an update. I took pictures, both without & with the cover. There doesn't seem to be a brand name on the thing. Here are links to the pics:

Also, you may notice in one pic that the temperature is turned up the whole way on the pb valve...don't know if that has anything to do with it. I turned it down a little, and the water still gets hot enough, but may not come winter. Also, ran the shower for 5 min or so, and there was no noise....I'll monitor over the next couple days or so and see how it goes.

Also, I did a little more research:
-There is a pressure regulator near the indoor shutoff.
-There is no access panel to the shower plumbing.
-I attached a watts pressure guage to an outdoor spigot, it read 80#

DonL · Jun 17, 2011

I would lower the pressure to 60 psi.

Sounds like you made progress.

DonL

Cwhyu2 · Jun 18, 2011

That is a Price Phister it has the same cartrage as a Delta.
Replace the cartrage, the balancing spool is the probable cause of the noise.

LLigetfa · Jun 18, 2011

DonL said:
I would lower the pressure to 60 psi.

Check the pressure inside the house before messing with the regulator. Outside hose bibs are often plumbed before the regulator.

A regulator can develop oscillations at specific resonant flow rates and anything you do to retune it could stop them most of the time. WIth a regulator, you have a closed system and as such should have an expansion tank somewhere. The expansion tank should work as a damper to reduce the oscillations but it could also amplify them under certain conditions.

I had a friend living in a trailer court and the neighbor's regulator would cause his pipes to rattle so he installed a small expansion tank to stop it.

Dachd · Jun 18, 2011

cwhyu2 said:
That is a Price Phister it has the same cartrage as a Delta.
Replace the cartrage, the balancing spool is the probable cause of the noise.

How do I remove the cartridge, and how do I know which one to buy? Do I need any special tools?

Jadnashua · Jun 18, 2011

That disk is no more than a limit stop. These, in one form or another, are on all new shower valves to set the max temperature that can be achieved on the outlet. It's a good idea to set it so someone doesn't accidentally bump the handle and then scald themselves. Hassle is, it may need to be changed winter to summer to account for the incoming cold water temperature, so few people do it. This is more important if you run your WH at a high temp without a tempering valve.

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