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Pipes 'hum' when toilet is flushed and water pressure is low

14 years ago

Please help - our home is only 5 years old. I came home from a deployment to find our plumbing 'humming' whenever we flush a toilet. The husband didn't notice because he wasn't away for a year like I was...(oops). Additionally, our water pressure seems to have taken a dive. We do not know how to check our water pressure level and we certainly don't know why the plumbing makes noises. We do have a water softener which we put in when our home was built. Any assistance you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Comments (5)

kudzu9
14 years ago
Could be a number of things. Are you on a well or on city water? What happens when you take a shower or use the water for other purposes? Is there a difference when you use all hot water rather than all cold water? Have you done any maintenance that may be required on the water softener?

You can check water pressure with the help of a $6-7 gauge that screws on to any hose bib (outside hose connection, or possibly inside laundry tub, or clothes washer connection) and can be purchased at most hardware stores.
fixizin
14 years ago
TWO possible causes I've personally encountered. The first fix is FREE, the second one is cheap.

1) The air columns in your arrestor tubes have been absorbed over time by the passing water, and the rapid action of your toilet's automatic fill valve is causing water hammer--not just annoying, but damaging to your pipes!

You simply need to drain your pipes and let the arrestor tubes refill with air. You do this by shutting off the water to the whole house, then opening the highest faucet in the house (to let air in), then opening the lowest faucet (to drain as much water down a drain as possible), then lastly, open the very lowest point in the system, which is usually a toilet shutoff valve, or an outside/basement hose bib. (You will need a pan under the toilet shutoff valve.)

When the draining is complete, close all these fixtures. Note that turning the whole-house valve back on will likely kick loose a lot of sediment. This sediment can clog sink faucet aerators, and ruin toilet fill valves... SO, turn on only BATHTUB faucets, as they are full flow, and have no restrictors or screens. Let the tub(s) run until all the spitting and spurting is over, and they're running clear and quiet.

If the problem was water hammer, you should be cured, otherwise on to #2. (Your time has NOT been wasted, as you should do the whole-house drain-down annually anyway, for these very reasons--to clear sediment, and prevent water hammer.)

2) Your toilet fill valve has sand/sediment in it, or some other fault, and needs cleaned or replaced. About $0 to dissassemble and clean, or $7 to replace, ASSUMING you can do-it-yourself. Flushmaster if you want an all-in-one solution.

PS: Thank you for your service to the nation, and WELCOME HOME! (My brother returns from "the 'stans" on Friday.)
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Generally humming in pipes is a sign of too low of pressure. The irrigation system (assuming you're not running both at the same time) isn't the problem. I think others in your neighborhood are using water and resulting in a drop in water pressure. Observe if the humming happens in the morning (more water used by others)or in the afternoon (less water used)or anytime water is used. Make sure your irrigation isn't running at the time you're testing the house system for noise. The pressure regulator (if that's the problem child) is generally adjustable. The pressure regulator has a diaphram (diameter varies but about 2"-4" diameter) with a nut and screw in the center. Loosen the nut then turn the screw clockwise to increase the pressure.
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Weedmeister: Good question, but, No. We are not. ALL: - We are on "city water," and live up on a hill with a water tank at the top of it so our pipes are always over pressured. And, we have to pay a special fee to the water district for that "pleasure." - I believe our old pipes were 3/4" since that is what I recall penetrating the walls for the lawn/water spigots. BUT, we now know to ask. THANKS! - Also, when we bought the house (8 years ago) the old pipes were identified in that inspection as "not very corroded." So we waited until we remodeled the bathrooms. The over pressure, however, has meant frequent cleaning of the spigots/faucets/shower heads and replacement of certain rubber gaskets throughout the house. - We did not replace the line from the street to the house for several reasons, including: water district charges new hook up and assigns you to a new rate structure, cost of demo & sensitivity/costs of digging the trench, etc.. - Contractor is supposed to come back tomorrow to discuss punch list for work tasks "done" to date, including the copper repipe.
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fixizin
14 years ago
... applied only to your toilet-related humming.

Your drop in water pressure could indeed be caused by your water softener, in-line filter, and similar appliances that serve the whole house. If your softener has valves which allow you to bypass it, that would be a simple test. Please post details on make and model of your wa-wa softener.

I assume your outdoor hose bibs are NOT on the softener, so that would be a good comparison test to isolate the cause too.
fixizin
14 years ago
... if the pressure has dropped at ALL fixtures, whether served by softener or not, then the fault may lie in your Pressure Reducing Valve (possibly underground) located near your meter.

The good news is the PRV is almost always the responsibility of the city/water supplier to service/replace. You may have to bug them a bit. ;')
magdiel1975
9 years ago
Mine ended up being the whole house water filter. DIdn't think if was that because I had just changed it on the 1st of the month and today is the 17th... but once I removed it, it was filled with about a 16th of gunk and rust on filter... once I replaced it, I had no more issues of low pressure when flushing my toilets.. I am amazed of how quickly that filter got so bad...thank you for the suggestion.

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