Pipe noise

[Marta]

Hello,
I have a strange noise coming from the water pipes. It's like a hollow booing sound. It only happens when the shower or toilet in the bathroom on the top floor have finished (ie, the shower has been turned off or the toilet tank has filled up again, that's when you can hear the sound). The noise lasts for a few to several seconds, sometimes maybe even up to 10 sec. On a couple of occasions, there was no noise or it lasted a second but most of the time the noise is there. My house is 25 years old and this started maybe 6-8 months ago. I've tried to "release the air" in the pipes by turning on all taps and toilets starting from the basement and going up and letting the water run for 2 min, but that hasn't helped at all.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

Sounds coming from water systems are very difficult to diagnose as a general rule.

Has anything been changed recently in the water system? Was the toilet or shower valve worked on? What style of shower valve is installed; Single handle or 3 handle?

A low vibration or hum can sometimes be caused by a valve that is not turned on or off all the way. The water rushing past that valve can cause part of the valve to vibrate or rush past the pinch point from a high pressure to low pressure side causing a rushing sound.

I'm dealing with a similar situation at my girlfriends dads house 2k miles away. Next trip out I get to tinker with the toilet fill valve.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Marta]

Sounds coming from water systems are very difficult to diagnose as a general rule.

Has anything been changed recently in the water system? Was the toilet or shower valve worked on? What style of shower valve is installed; Single handle or 3 handle?

A low vibration or hum can sometimes be caused by a valve that is not turned on or off all the way. The water rushing past that valve can cause part of the valve to vibrate or rush past the pinch point from a high pressure to low pressure side causing a rushing sound.

I'm dealing with a similar situation at my girlfriends dads house 2k miles away. Next trip out I get to tinker with the toilet fill valve.

That's the thing, nothing has been worked on in a couple/few years that's why I'm so confused by this noise.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Shut off the water to the toilet. Then use the shower and check for the noise. Then do the opposite. It's not alway possible to shut the water off to a shower/tub.

As Tuttles suggested, toilet fill valves usually will go noisy as they wear down. One issue can be when the water pressure increases in the home after using the shower, the toilet fill valve may open a bit because of the increase of pressure and then shut off as the water level increased inside the tank. That short period of time is, as you seem to notice, just a second or two. During that time the parts inside the fill valve can vibrate or the washer inside the shut off valve.

What you can try, remove the lid to the toilet, there should be a float depending on the brand. Ever so slightly push down on the float to cause water to flow. Don't worry it will not overflow as excess water will go down the overflow tube. Just try to hold with water flowing to see if there is any noise or vibration as you change the float level.

If you can take a picture of the fill valve inside the tank might help with more suggestions.

 

[Jeff H Young]

regulators make strange noises at odd times as mentioned by op too