An up-to-date and properly functioning plumbing system should usually operate very quietly. If you hear a noise from the pipes hidden inside your walls or your plumbing fixtures, then this noise is likely the sign of a plumbing problem.
Learn about three unwanted plumbing system noises and their possible causes.
1. High-Pitched Whistling
A high-pitched whistling sound coming from your plumbing system can have several causes.
If you only hear this sound when running water out of just one water fixture, then the noise likely stems from a problem with the fixture. Faucets often produce high-pitched sounds when they have a loose or improperly sized washer in the faucet stems. As water flows past a loose or too large washer, it can vibrate and emit a whistling sound.
If you only notice this noise when you flush a toilet, then the cause could be a faulty washer in the toilet’s ballcock assembly. This assembly controls water flow into your toilet bowl and also triggers your toilet tank to stop filling up once the tank is full.
However, if you hear a whistling noise coming from your home’s pipe network when you use any water fixture in your home, then its cause could be restriction of water flow through your pipes. Both older pipes that have developed a limescale buildup inside of them over time and newer pipes too narrow for your home can restrict water flow so greatly that pipes begin to whistle.
To eliminate the cause of this whistling noise, call a licensed plumber to either replace faulty parts in your fixture or diagnose and repair causes of restricted water flow.
2. Pipe Humming
If you frequently hear a humming noise coming from your home’s water pipes, especially when you use a water fixture, then that is often a sign that your water pressure may be too high. Water pipes can vibrate as highly pressurized water flows through them, and this vibration often sounds like humming.
While no one wants water pressure that is too low, water pressure that is too high can damage a plumbing system over time. Too-high water pressure places excess stress on pipe fittings and joints that, over time, can damage these fittings so much that they begin to leak. In addition, high water pressure can reduce the lifespan of water fixtures and appliances.
Thankfully, you can reduce water pressure in your home by having a plumbing expert install a water pressure regulator, also called a pressure regulator valve, on your home’s main water supply line.
3. Gurgling
The cause of gurgling sounds from your drains or water fixtures can vary depending on where and when you hear them.
When a gurgling noise comes from just one sink drain when you run the faucet that connects to it, this is likely a partial clog. Since partial pipe clogs typically progress to full clogs over time, remove the clog before it worsens so that you don’t lose use of the water fixture until the clog is clear.
If you hear these gurgling sounds from various drains in your home or your toilet when it is not in the midst of flushing, then your problem may instead be a clogged sewer line or clogged plumbing vent stack.
An additional sign that you have a sewer line clog includes wastewater backing up into your home drains. However, if your drains instead emit foul odors, then that is a sign of a clogged vent stack, which is your home plumbing network’s ventilation system.
Both clogged sewer lines and clogged vent stacks are serious problems that plumbing professionals should remedy before these issues block all wastewater flow out of your home or lead to toxic sewer gases emitting from your drains.
If you hear strange noises from your home plumbing system, then these noises could be telltale signs of plumbing or water fixture problems. Contact the plumbing experts at A-1 Affordable Plumbing Inc for all of your plumbing repair needs today.
