# Water Pipes Humming



## Smoke (Jun 2, 2010)

Hello, 
The other day I noticed my bath tub faucet dripping and also my hot water tank's pressure relief valve dripping. I replaced the Pressure relief valve but the new one also dripped. I replaced the tub faucet valve but it still leaked.:furious: I then replaced the pressure reducing valve on the main line. Alas, both have quit leaking.:thumbup: However, everytime we turn on the cold water or flush a toilet, we get this annoying humming noise. I adjusted the pressure reducing valve to lower the incoming pressure but it still hums. I put a pressure gauge on my laundry tub and it reads below 50psi. I don't want to keep lowering the screw cause my water pressure will be horrible. Any ideas? Could the new pressure reducing valve be bad? This humming ias driving us nuts!:furious:


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## bluejeans (Apr 15, 2010)

50psi seems real high to me.especially in a residential home.bring the pressure down to 25psi.what supplies your water?


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## Smoke (Jun 2, 2010)

It is city water coming into the home. I bought the pressure reducing valve that was "Preset" to 50psi so I figured that was the norm. I don't want it too low because the second floor tub and shower will not have adequate flow. Not to mention that I did put the pressure gauge on the laundry tub and it was around 40psi. I'm guessing it's the pressure reducing valve becuase if I flush one toilet it hums, if I flush 2 at the same time the humming goes away.


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## bluejeans (Apr 15, 2010)

I think your pressures high and your water distribution system piping is undersized.i bet you have too much 1/2' pipe.drop the pressure,if you have low pressure on second floor there is a problem.pressure should not drop much per 10' of rise.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

This house & last house 70-80 psi
Never heard a pipe hum


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## Plumber101 (Feb 25, 2009)

50 psi is fine. 

Have you located where the hum is coming from?

Fought a hum a few months age where when a main foor faucet was shut off the hum was produced. Found the toilet fill valve was weak and would release water and hum. 

Again 50 psi is fine just need to fine where the hum is comming from. 

The PRV may even be faulty out of the box.

If it didn't happen before the repairs then your home water pipe sizing is fine. Something is just changed and locating a hum can be a real beach.


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## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

bluejeans said:


> 50psi seems real high to me.especially in a residential home.bring the pressure down to 25psi.what supplies your water?


Are you kidding me???????????? :whistling2:

25 PSI is barely above the minimum residual pressure required in a residential home (15 PSI) and the max before requiring a regulator is 80 PSI. Most people complain about low pressure below 55 PSI.

Heck anyone on a well system would have a pressure switch that kicks on at 40 PSI and off at 60 PSI. :huh: Just wondering what basis you are going off of that he needs to reduce pressure to 25 psi...


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## Smoke (Jun 2, 2010)

Thanks for all of the replies. My problem does not occur when the water or toilet valve is turned OFF though, it is when the water is turned ON or when a toilet is flushed. It is only the cold water too. This is why I am suspecting the BRAND NEW:furious: pressure reducing valve.


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## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

Smoke said:


> Thanks for all of the replies. My problem does not occur when the water or toilet valve is turned OFF though, it is when the water is turned ON or when a toilet is flushed. It is only the cold water too. This is why I am suspecting the BRAND NEW:furious: pressure reducing valve.


What kind of ballcock do you have on the toilet?


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## Smoke (Jun 2, 2010)

Both are Kohler toilets with their standard ballcocks. I don't think they are the problem because the pipes hum when I use the kitchen faucet, bathroom faucet, laundry faucet, etc. Only with cold water.


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## bob22 (May 28, 2008)

OPen the valve feeding the toilet all the way and see if it goes away. If not, I'd check the washer in that valve.


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## NHMaster (Dec 21, 2009)

Smoke said:


> Hello,
> The other day I noticed my bath tub faucet dripping and also my hot water tank's pressure relief valve dripping. I replaced the Pressure relief valve but the new one also dripped. I replaced the tub faucet valve but it still leaked.:furious: I then replaced the pressure reducing valve on the main line. Alas, both have quit leaking.:thumbup: However, everytime we turn on the cold water or flush a toilet, we get this annoying humming noise. I adjusted the pressure reducing valve to lower the incoming pressure but it still hums. I put a pressure gauge on my laundry tub and it reads below 50psi. I don't want to keep lowering the screw cause my water pressure will be horrible. Any ideas? Could the new pressure reducing valve be bad? This humming ias driving us nuts!:furious:


It's probably a loose washer in a stop valve. If it's in the key of B flat I have a saxophone for sale cheap.


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## Gladerunner (Mar 9, 2010)

check main supply valve. (the one you shut off to replace prv). try to operate it while somthing is running and making the humm. be sure you have opened it all the way.


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## Smoke (Jun 2, 2010)

Thanks for all of the replies. What's really weird is that I haven't changed a thing for a few days and the humming got less and less to the point where it is almost gone. I'm thinking that something was either dirty or loose in a valve somewhere and it fixed itself. Keep your fingers crossed!:thumbup:


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## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

See if partially closing your main water valve changes the symptom. I'm thinking a loose washer. Smaller washers should vibrate at a higher freq..


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## bluejeans (Apr 15, 2010)

Yoyizit said:


> See if partially closing your main water valve changes the symptom. I'm thinking a loose washer. Smaller washers should vibrate at a higher freq..


 I almost thought i should insult you,but thats not my style.Closing the nain valve will slow the flow and volume.pressure and flow resistance are 2 seperate issues.plumbing,...especially water distribution is something cheap builders/remodelers can hide.me thinks that prv has broken in and no longer is making the harmonic(think tuning fork) humm that traveled up the instrument(1/2" undersized branch lines).glad the OP is cool and happy.


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## Smoke (Jun 2, 2010)

OK! I discovered what the problem was!!!!!:clap:You might want to keep this for future humming problems!!! I bought a new pressure reducing valve. The one end has a union and the other end is female. On the NEW valve, the union has an O-Ring in a channel. My old one did not! I don't know if it didn't come with one or if it fell out when I removed it from the box. But the union was basically metal against metal creating the musical instrument throughout my house!!!! Not I can flush toilets and run water with........SILENCE!!!!:thumbup:


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## bob22 (May 28, 2008)

Glad to hear after 1.5 years the answer has arrived!
Congrats!


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## jagans (Oct 21, 2012)

Huey Lois wrote a song about this. I think it was called "I need a new drug"

:whistling2:


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