What is causing this noise and how do you stop it?

Question

The pipes (water) in the house when turning on the faucet make a loud noise and is especially loud in the basement that is in construction. Some times the noise is so loud it actually rattles the pipes... I was told it was air in the system that makes the running water sound loud. It makes a turbine engine sound (not as loud but that is all I can describe it as). The noise does not occur when the water is turned on full. Only at a small run of the faucet. Is it air? And how do you stop it from making the noise. Also what causes this to occur to prevent it from happening again. Any help would be greatly appreciated as this running water noise drives me up the wall...

Answer 1

From your discription, it sounds to me like cavitation is your culprit. As the name implies, cavitation is the production of cavities in the water. These cavities are small vacuum bubbles that quickly collapse under water pressure, producing a snapping sound. The collapse of thousands of these tiny cavities each second integrates to produce a hissing sound. As water flows through a valve, for example, it can travel so fast that it no longer wets the backside of the stem. A cavity is formed in the water around the stem. This cavity is basically a vacuum bubble with a little bit of water vapor and dissolved air inside it. Sections of this vacuum cavity are carried downstream by the flowing water as tiny bubbles where they suddenly collapse with a loud report. Again, many small snaps produce hissing. Cavitation can be produced in sharp bends, fittings, valves and faucets.

High water pressure can cause a variety of odd problems including these noises. High pressure can also damage toilet valves and other devices connected to the plumbing. If you're on a city water system, ask your neighbors if they are having similar problems. If you have a well you probably have a water pressure meter. If you don't have one, borrow one or, buy one at the hardware store and check the pressure. If your pressure is above 60psi you may want to adjust your pressure reducer or install one. (I understand some water systems have higher pressures in the main lines and pressure reducers between the main and house, at the meter. In this case, if the pressure regulator is defective you could have high pressure even if your neighbors don't.)

If the water presure is ok, then to my knowledge, there is no "anti-cavitation" devices avalible. only opportunity to actually prevent cavitation is in the use of continuous runs of soft copper or plastic hose that minimize the use of sharp bends and fittings and to minimize the transfer of cavitation noise to and through the structure.

Answer 2

Sounds like cavitation might be the culprit, but I was thinking about a few other possibilities:

1. Water temperature: if pipes are changing temperatures your pipes are loose, you might get noise from the expanding and contracting as you use and shut off hot water. Cold water might have the same effect if substantially cooler than room temperature. The pipes would more likely be metal and not be tied down somewhere where they might rattle. Try to locate where the pipes rattle to see if only occurs in specific places.

2. Your basement IS under construction, which is why the pipes are not properly tied down (usu. metal straps). The noise would generate from the area under construction where the pipes are no longer attached to the framing, but might be close enough to the frame to wiggle. Sure, it's not a garden hose under pressure, but even pipes will probably wiggle if you just let them hang loose when the water is blasting through them.

Anyhow, checking how the pipes are attached would be my first test because just attaching a pipe more securely is probably your least expensive fix next to trying to sort out having air in your lines (opening and closing valves is practically free, right?).

Answer 3

Turn off the water to the house. Open all the faucets, hopefully you have one in the basement as well to facilitate draining. Open the water to the house slowly and only a little. Now close all the faucets from the top down. The air should be gone. If it happens again you will need to put in air dams - basically a short pipe that is filled with air that goes nowhere but is attached to your plumbing and is vertical.

Answer 4

Water Pressure Regulator Noise

Answer 5

I woke this morning to the sound of a two-stroke engine in my house! At 5:00am, when the lawn sprinklers kicked on, an outdoor faucet that had been leaking slightly because it hadn t been turned off all the way, began vibrating. The vibrations spread through the whole house! The water heater, fridge, sinks, toilets, tubs, everything was buzzing loudly. I do mean loudly. To eliminate the problem, I started testing every faucet and flushed every toilet until I got to the back yard. As soon as I turned the culprit valve, the buzzing stopped. Will replace the faucet after the sun comes up this morning. Wow, so much noise from such a little source.

Answer 6

You need to stop the vibration that the wind causes thus creating the noise. I would get some discs about 2"-3" diameter (plastic discs like you get as coasters) make a small hole, thread and tie some string about 12" long through the hole on one and then at the other end of the string tie a second disc. Throw these over each lines at different places along their length. Once in place the weight and wind resistance of the discs will change the frequency of the vibration in the wire and hopefully give you some peace.

Answer 7

yah i would say air. see if you can change the water pressure. a higher pressure should do it