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I just started using a 2nd floor shower that was built in the 60's. The supply is copper pipe and has not been used for all these years.
The problem is a constant roaring noise when either the cold or hot water is turned on.
I was hoping the sound would go away after using the shower for a few weeks but, that hasn't happened.
It almost seems like there is too much friction between the water flow and the inside of the copper pipe.
Has anyone run into this problem & solved it?
What is the pressure like at the shower
Water flow appears normal. I didn't measure the pressure.
One thing I failed to mention is: if I remove the shower head the noise goes almost completely away. Maybe back pressure is creating the noise.
Maybe buy a new shower head.
Here in Winnipeg when they introduced a water conservation program about 20 years ago, the City tested several dozen low flow shower heads with the idea of purchasing them on a large scale and selling them at cost to Winnipeggers.
The two shower heads they decided on purchasing were both made by Niagara Conservation, which still makes shower heads, but none of those original two are still in production.
http://www.niagaraconservation.com/w...ts/showerheads
I have 21 Niagara N2130 shower heads in my building, and Moen 3931 diverter spouts (which don't leak any water when the shower is on), and in 20 apartment in near 20 years now I haven't had a single tenant complain about the shower pressure.
The original N2130 shower heads had a flow performance as follows:
1.28 US gal/min @ 20 psi water pressure
1.78 US gal/min @ 40 psi water pressure
2.18 US gal/min @ 60 psi water pressure
2.49 US gal/min @ 80 psi water pressure
City of Winnipeg water pressure is typically about 60 psig, so my tenants are happy with the shower head spraying out about 2.2 gallons per minute.
So, find out what your city water pressure is, and get a shower head that will give you from 2.0 to 2.5 gallons per minute, and you should be happy with the shower head you bought.
Being built in the 60's, the shower valve may just have some washers in it. Over those decades, the rubber can get hard and maybe a little loose. WHen that happens, they can vibrate in the flow.
Thanks, that is a good thought. I will checkout the valves.
The problem is probably turbulence in the shower head. IF it were "flow noise" it would INCREASE without the shower head because then there is MORE water flowing.