why does my faucet whistle?

Question

when the hot water is turned on the faucet whistles. why?

Answer 1

How to Silence a Noisy Faucet
Faucets can scream, whistle, or chatter when you turn them on or off. There are several possible causes for these ear-shattering phenomena. If your house is newly built, you may have pipes that are too small to allow the water to pass through them properly. Similarly, pipes in older homes can become restricted by the formation of scale, indicated by a noisy faucet. In either case, you must replace the pipes to get rid of the noise, which is not really a quick fix.

Most likely, however, your noisy faucet is caused by a washer that is either the wrong size or is not held securely to the stem. Turn off the water supply before starting on this or any other faucet repair job. Replacing the washer or tightening it should eliminate the noise. If the faucet still makes noise, check the washer seat. The seat can become partially closed with residue, and the restricted water flow can cause whistling or chattering. If this is the case, clean the seat.

A squealing noise heard when you turn the faucet handle means the metal threads of the stem are binding against the faucet's threads. Remove the stem, and coat both sets of threads with petroleum jelly. The lubrication should stop the noise and make the handle easier to turn. Of course, if the stem threads or faucet body threads have become worn, the resulting play between them causes vibration and noise in the faucet. In this case, you'll need more than just lubrication to quiet the faucet.

Install a new stem, and see if the noise stops. If not, the faucet body threads are worn, and the only solution is a completely new faucet. Fortunately, the stem usually wears first.

Answer 2

Harmonious water lines, huh? Do they play any particular tune? We hope your pipes aren't subjecting you to heavy metal.

Kidding aside, we believe you are describing a form of what is known as a "water hammer," a colorful euphemism for noise in water supply lines.

Water hammers come in many different versions - from a severe "bang" to an imitation of a machine gun to a wheeze or even, as in your case, harmonic noise. Water hammer is caused by a sudden change of pressure inside the pipes, often when a faucet or valve closes quickly or a valve is faulty.

The cause is best explained by a quick physics lesson. When the tap is turned on, the pressure built up in the water line is released. At that point water is moving through the pipe. When the tap is shut off, water movement stops. Because water does not easily compress, this sudden stop creates a shock wave that travels back through the pipe until it hits a point of impact at a bend in the line (a tee or elbow). The impact causes the pipe to vibrate, as if you hit the pipe with a real hammer.

Severe water hammers may damage pipes at the joints. With a water hammer that is consistent and loud, a licensed plumber should be contacted to determine if the line should be fitted with an air chamber or a surge arrester.

As for your harmonious water lines, the good news is we don't believe you have a severe problem. To silence the singing, the first step is to isolate the source. Start with your faucets, including sinks, bathtubs and showers. Turn on one faucet at a time and note if the pipes sing.

Since your home is 40 years old, our bet is that some do and some don't. For the ones that do, we suspect faulty washers. The solution: replace the washers. Part of a good home maintenance schedule is to change the washers in faucets on a regular basis. Every five years or so will do, depending on usage.

As for this occurring more in the winter months, it's likely that the cold weather is affecting the expansion and contraction of your plumbing system, helping to cause your singing pipes.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
why does my faucet whistle?
when the hot water is turned on the faucet whistles. why?

Answer 4

Not only does my kitchen faucet whistle on the hot water only side, the water pressure is extremely low. It s just above a trickle. I replaced the entire faucet with a new one, and still have the same problem. I m stumped. Someone please help me.

Answer 5

Some faucets have an alarm built in as a warning that the temp is too hot

Answer 6

Air leak in the pipes. Believe it or not, your plumbing system, where it interconnects with the toilet, can cause sounds in the pipes. Next time you hear the sound, flush the toilet. If the sounds stops when you do that, you can adjust the floating ball in the toilet tank with a screwdriver to either raise or lower its floating point. That might fix it. Good luck.

Answer 7

It must be very happy. Seriously, it is happening in the pipes. They probably need to be cleaned or replaced.

Answer 8

OMG! mine does that too, lol. i have to watch this question to see if i can figure mine out. good luck, that is annoying isn't it?

Answer 9

high water pressure and air in the lines.

Answer 10

Because it doesn't know the words.