Noisy Humming Pipes

[numpty]

I have a new home that was finished in September 2000. About 4 months after we moved in (so, Dec 2000), we began to hear a short high-pitched humming sound when we would flush a toilet very early in the morning — the “first flush of the day.” 3 months after this sound was first detected, this humming has grown into a more widespread problem. Now, every toilet in the house makes this loud, long (15 – 20 seconds) high-pitched hum every time we flush — except when we have recently flushed or run the shower. The showers now also cause this problem when they are the first shower of the day and when you don’t flush the toilet prior to running the shower. The Kitchen sink also causes this sound — usually when you are filling a large pot and when no water has been run in the house for about 8 hours. We have all copper plumbing, all water pipes have been foam insulated by us during construction. We have an unfinished basement. And our toilets are Gerber with the Sloan ultraflush inside — this is a pressure assisted flushing mechanism that is not powered by electric. The house is 4000 sq feet with 3.5 baths,three utility tubs, 4 hose bibs, and a separate water meter for the irrigation system. We had the water pressure checked on all hosebibs, and all are at 55 – 60 psi. What could be the problem? The plumber doesn’t know!! Need help in Raleigh, North Carolina!

[SylvanLMPParticipant]

Have your plumber check the incoming water presure then calculate the velocity of the water in FPS anything over 8 FPS could cause excessive noise

[Wallingford Plm+HtgParticipant]

Sylvan,why don’t you read what the customer has to say and this time pay attention.

[SylvanLMPParticipant]

quote:

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Originally posted by Wallingford Plm+Htg:
Sylvan,why don’t you read what the customer has to say and this time pay attention.

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Ok then Wall now you have the pressure TELL US GREAT one what is the velocity? DUH lets make it easy and figure the plumber used figure 1/2 and 3/4.

By the way Wall reading your posting about ANTI freeze why not using your mentality USE windshild washer fluid in your engine for protection?

[Wallingford Plm+HtgParticipant]

If you can find the fps by just knowing the pressure and pipe size your a better man than I am.You might want to figure in a couple dozen fittings along the way.How about a stop+waste,that may affect the outcome? This problem is common with pressure assisted toilets The first thing I would do is to start closing the valve to the toilets a little at a time until you see results.Your refill rate will be affected but you will probaly find this better than the noise.

[SylvanLMPParticipant]

quote:

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Originally posted by Wallingford Plm+Htg:
If you can find the fps by just knowing the pressure and pipe size your a better man than I am.You might want to figure in a couple dozen fittings along the way.How about a stop+waste,that may affect the outcome? This problem is common with pressure assisted toilets The first thing I would do is to start closing the valve to the toilets a little at a time until you see results.Your refill rate will be affected but you will probaly find this better than the noise.

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Velocity of 55-60 PSI = 3.47 FPS

To find GPM Dia Dia Velocity 5/2

I think Wall it would be a nice gesture on your part to LEARN plumbing correctly As once NYS realizes how lax the plumbers are upstate RETRAINING should be in order HAVE A NICE DAY.

[clogueParticipant]

Thanks for the advice. I have not tried to implement your solution, yet, because my husband seems to have isolated the cause of the problem and, we believe, remedied it. We noticed that quite a number of our copper water delivery pipes cross at right angles and actually touch at these intersections. These pipes are under the main floor of the house — in the ceiling of the basement. So, my husband covered the pipes at every intersection with standard foam pipe insulation (the kind we used on the pipes buried within the walls and the floors. This prevented the pipes from rubbing together and humming when they vibrated due to the high water flow. It seems that these were the only pipes we did not insulate during the homebuilding process because we knew we could access them easily after construction. We no longer hear any humming since he added the insulation where pipes crossed (and touched). I sure am glad we insulated all of the other pipes within the walls! Thanks for your suggestion, nonetheless. I know that information will come in handy! clogue

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