Shower stall noise

Hello,

I am new to this forum.

We have a split level house with four levels (basement, ground level, first floor, second floor).

There is a small bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower stall (equipped with a hand held shower head) on the first floor.

Whenever we turn on the shower, when we turn the hot water knob about a quarter turn, we start getting a loud, horrible vibrating noise--it sounds like someone is playing a tuba--loudly and badly. It echoes and vibrates throughout the entire house and scares the bejeebers out of the cats.

The noise stops when the hot water is turned on more fully. The noise also happens as the hot water is being turned off.

There is also a larger bath on the top floor with a drop in jacuzzi, sink and toilet, but this does not happen up there.

The noise comes from behind the wall where the plumbing to the shower is. Does anyone have any idea what may be cauing the noise and how I can make it stop?

It sounds like a bad washer.
Replace the washer and the seat, and things should be quiet again.

noise

If you were lucky enough to have the valve shown in Terry's drawing, then a knowledgable plumber can convert them to quarter turn ceramic operation and get rid of any rubber washer problems, and possibly never have to fix it again in the foreseeable future. Other valves can have stem problems that require a new unit, and still others just need a new washer, or a tightened washer,

hj,

You've said that before.
Does any standard PP newer cartridge work with the old stuff?
That would be a lot better solution.
Or do you just buy a new complete valve and rob the parts?

Thank you

Because I do not possess the tools, knowledge, or confidence to do this myself, I called a plumber and the problem is solved. This forum helped though because I am fairly new in town and calling in plumbers, electricians, etc. is a crapshoot because if they think you are ignorant some may try to turn a minor thing into a big job to rip you off--especially when you're a woman.

So, when I called, I told the person that I have a bad washer in a shower stall and just don't have the tools to fix the problem. This way, at least I know that the plumber knew that I wasn't some clueless moron (although, I guess, I actually am when it comes to things like this) they could rip off.

Although, I got a good guy because he came, spent about ten minutes fixing it, even replaced the washer in the cold water valve too because he said that it would probably be going soon too and better safe than sorry and even cut his house call charge in half for me because he thought the job was too easy. He even installed the new hand-held shower head I'd bought because I'd noticed a split in the plastic tube.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

pp

Unless it is a Crown Jewel, (flat top round handles with flutes around the edges), which had screw on escutcheon tubes, (and the trim is in good condition), I buy the entire faucet and use all the parts except the body. Most valve bodies require that you remove the hot and cold seats. Some Crown Jewel versions, however, are deeper and have to keep the seats in. I remove the seats first, and then if the faucet will not shut off, put them back in.

faucet

All I would have wanted to know is that the faucet is dripping. I would not have cared whether you were a man or woman, or whether you thought it was a bad washer. When I arrive, then I make my own decision as to the cause of the problem, and fix it. I always repair both hot and cold sides. And no matter how minute a job it is, even if it only takes 5 seconds to push the reset button on a garbage disposer, the the bill stays the same. Try getting a doctor or lawyer to reduce his bill because he only saw you for 5 minutes, or just talked to you on the phone.