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View Full Version : Plumbing question - the taps are talking to me


MiniMatt
19-11-08, 03:52 PM
Wondering if the plumbers who installed the original Org Fountain of Knowledge are still around...

Ok, when we flush the toilet the cistern refills. About five seconds after the cistern has completely refilled... the taps start singing. D# to be precise, possibly an E. Single tone, very high volume, and after about 30 seconds this tone recedes and all is quiet again. Now my other half can hear this too, so this is in no way related to the voices in my head who tell me to run naked through the streets (I'm not listening to them again.... barstewards....)

There are only two rooms in the house with taps, the bathroom and the kitchen, the bathroom sink cold tap sings and the kitchen sink cold tap sings. No hot taps sing, and neither of the bath taps do. Bathroom sink is definitely the loudest. Now, whilst they're singing if you turn on either of the cold taps, the noise ceases and one only needs to run these taps for about five seconds for the noise not to return (quick blat of the taps and the noise will cease then recommence in timing with the tap blat). No water leaks from these taps either during their musical rendition or not, although the washers are probably a bit old and one needs a bit of a tight turn to stop dripping.

I'm guessing we have air trapped someplace, but I'm at a loss to figure out how to find out where.

If it's relevant, we have a combi boiler, the radiators were bled a few months back and the inlet pressure dial on the boiler says more or less the same as it always has (can't remember, but it's in the middle of the dial, far away from the red sections at either end); although as stated it seems to be the cold water circuit that's causing the prob.

So, any clues as to my sonerous pipework?

kitkat
19-11-08, 05:47 PM
DD just finishing his plumbing course today having achieved 100% for his water regs exam yesterday (well done hun). when he gets in Ill point him in the direction of this post if no other plumber comes forward in the meantime.

Rich
19-11-08, 06:01 PM
Sounds like water hammer to me!! Could be the jumper jamming up abit in your mains stop tap. Try having a listen to it if you can when it makes the noise!! Try turning your mains stop tap down abit to prevent the noise!!!

dirtydog
19-11-08, 07:07 PM
As uber says try turning your stop tap down a bit as that may well stop it, have done that a few times myself

nakedblue650
19-11-08, 07:16 PM
Tis water hammer - rather than turning the stop c/o/c/k or service valve down try cleaing the internals of the float operated valve in the cistern. Possibly a small piece of debris on the seating.

HTH

nb650

wouldnt recommend turning down the mains as you have a combi - unless you are one of the few with proper sized main!

Had a problem saying c/o/c/k, wonder if you can say S****horpe?

embee
19-11-08, 09:35 PM
Yes, it'll be the valve in the WC cistern. Only the taps on the mains supply will respond, sounds like you have a hot water cylinder with cold storage tank supplying all hot and bath cold taps.

If it's a "traditional" long lever ball-valve you should be able to change the washer pretty easily, usually sorts it out. Compact valves (Torbeck etc) can be a pain, usually easiest to simply replace them, not expensive.

MiniMatt
20-11-08, 09:37 AM
Well you learn something everyday :D Never heard of water hammer and I confess I had to do a quick google to check you folks weren't going to instruct me to purchase some tartan paint and a long weight :D

Sounds like a definite culprit, I'll have a look around tonight. Rented house so haven't taken a whole lot of interest in it's workings but they installed the combi boiler shortly after we moved in (something about lethal carbon monoxide levels on the old traditional boiler...) and I'm pretty sure the old cold water header tank in the loft is still in use for *something*. Regular ball & float thingy on the toilet cistern and that sounds like a prime target (last time I looked in there it was pretty manked up with limescale, suspect the washer is now rock hard), failing that and the water tank, the mains stop sounds like the next fix :D

Yay for the org, thanks folks :D