Moaning / Groaning / Noisy Water Pipes???

I've searched thru your forums (and they're super helpful!!) but still haven't found the solution to my problem. I'll try to be as specific as possible, and hope your knowledge base of readers can solve my problem.

As posted by numerous others... I too have an occasional noisy water pipe problem. Sounds like a low moaning, groaning, vibrating noise that rattles all the pipes in the house. Hard to detect the actual source of the problem since it rattles all the pipes.

The noise occurs directly AFTER ANY WATER IS USED, Hot or Cold.
The noise occurs after water is used from any source: toilet, faucet, shower, humidifyer.
While the noise is occuring, if I start water flow again, the noise stops.

What's really strange, is that the noise will bother me for a few days... and then without any apparent change in the dynamics of the house, it will just DISAPPEAR?!?

I've checked, and I don't seem to have a PRV in my system.
I do have a whole house water filter, and a softener system.
I've put BOTH the filter and softener on BYPASS, and the noise still occurs.

I have water hammer arrestors on the hot and cold water lines on a recently remodeled shower that's on the first floor of the house. They're pretty large, about 8-10" long.

I DO have an IN HOUSE WATER METER. Could this also be a PRV, and potentially the source of the problem?

Thanks in advance to everyone for you help.

Les.

I've read that some water meters have a built-in check valve, but not a prv.

LesMan,

This may not work, but it's worth a try... If this noise occurs after shutting off a fixture (e.g., shower or sink), I'd pop the lid on the toilet tank and check there. Sometimes, this type of noise occurs when water pressure is reduced somewhere else, causing the fill valve to open slightly and howl like a foghorn. So, after shutting off the water and hearing the noise, pull up on the toilet tank float to see if it stops. If it does, replacing the fill valve will fix it. Good luck...

Thanks to those who replied.

As it turns out, I wound out finding the problem on my own last night around midnight when I just couldn't take it anymore!!

One of the toilets that I have downstairs must have been leaking past the flapper valve / flush ball & seal ever so slightly. So the water level in the tank dropped to the point where the float ball was just barely below the full level. The slow flow refill of the tank was causing the howl / moan / groan / noise.

When I pulled up on the float, the noise in the house stopped!! Push down on the float to fill the tank a little bit more, and I had a quiet night's sleep.

Now all I have to do is replace the flapper valve.

I hope this posting helps some other tired, weary soul!!

If you do not have a PRV, the toilet is the next most common fixture to cause noise like this (surprised it wasn't mentioned first). You not only need to change the flapper, but you need to change that fill valve that is making that noise. Install a Fluidmaster 400A.
Deb
The Pipewench