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Why does my hot water tap vibrate?


mr lee
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Noticed this week my hot water tap downstairs has started to vibrate when you turn it on. Once opened further the tap does stop, it's just the initial flow that makes it do it. It's pretty loud and annoying. The water pressure is very good here and we have turned it down somewhat as the water would spray everywhere when you turned a tap on. We have also had a new watermain put in at the end of our road to the newer plastic stuff.

 

Anybody got any ideas as to why it's started recently and how I can stop it doing so?

 

Cheers.

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sometimes its a sticky ballvalve but depends what plumbing system you have, is it combi or hot tank

Combi system Alex. About 6-7 years old...

 

I know a good builder that can fix that for you but he won't get out of bed for less than £150 a day

<_<

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Could simply be your tap washer wearing out and needing replacement. Try this first as it's the cheapest option and very easy to fix. A couple of my taps do the same but i ignore it unless they start dripping.

<_< I'll look at that option first and then go from there.

 

We had the boiler serviced last year Alex so i'm hoping it isn't that that is the issue.... :P

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Hi

 

Your symptoms sound similar to what I have when flushing a wc - in my case a clunking in the pipes as if there is air in them(tho' I may be wrong)

 

If it is similar I have been advised it is 'water-hammer' (from a Plumber)............whatever that is.......

 

I'm not sure what this is yet but find that if a cold tap is opened slightly the 'knocking' subsides significantly........

 

Over to the Plumbers/Water people me thinks...

 

Cheers

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Hi

 

Your symptoms sound similar to what I have when flushing a wc - in my case a clunking in the pipes as if there is air in them(tho' I may be wrong)

 

If it is similar I have been advised it is 'water-hammer' (from a Plumber)............whatever that is.......

 

I'm not sure what this is yet but find that if a cold tap is opened slightly the 'knocking' subsides significantly........

 

Over to the Plumbers/Water people me thinks...

 

Cheers

 

Let me know what it is when you find out,i have just moved into a new place and i get the same thing happening to my toilet ie: whenever i flush it the pipes bang 4 or 5 times BUT they don't bang when the heating is on :good:

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copied from google

 

There are several causes of noisy pipes. Yours sounds like water hammer and perhaps, poorly secured pipes. Water hammer is a loud banging sound. It occurs when a valve is closed quickly and the water, which is moving with considerable velocity and momentum, has to stop very quickly. When water moving at several feet per second has to stop abruptly, there is a considerable amount of force that must be dealt with. The water bounces off the valve and actually creates a vacuum as it bounces away from the valve. The vacuum then violently attracts the water back to the low pressure area and the water again bounces off the closed valve. If the water has enough momentum, it will again bounce off the valve and create a smaller vacuum. The effect of this is reverberation, which sounds a little bit like someone pounding on metal piping with a hammer. Water velocities can be high (up to 3,000 miles per hour) and the forces developed with water hammer can exceed 600 psi. The implications of water hammer can include deterioration of valves, loosening of piping supports and leaking at pipe joints. Metal piping is more susceptible to water hammer than plastic piping. The plastic piping tends to have enough flexibility to absorb some of the energy.

 

 

 

A water hammer chamber could be installed behind the toilet. It will act like a cushion and slow the water down gradually. Poorly secured pipes may require the ceiling below to be opened up to access the pipes, however if the water hammer problem is eliminated, the pipes may not move enough to make noise.

 

 

 

google it lots to read on there about it :good:

Edited by roosy
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Mr Lee it sounds like a dodgey washer, mabey worn or is disintegrating.

 

Let me know what it is when you find out,i have just moved into a new place and i get the same thing happening to my toilet ie: whenever i flush it the pipes bang 4 or 5 times BUT they don't bang when the heating is on :D

 

Chandelierman,

Sounds definatley like fluid hammer(water hammer), this could be caused by lots of things- but will probably be you're float operated valve in your Wc.

I would get a plumber in rather quickly,in the worst case the pipes could cave and you could be getting an early shower.

 

The heating is a different system from you're cold water (from the cistern).

 

Im half way through my second year as an apprentice pumber so i may be wrong :good:

 

Cheer's :D

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Water Hammer is just that. it's the sudden pressure change inside a pipe caused by opening/closing of taps, cistern valves, washing machine valves etc. The sudden drop or increase in pressure causes a pressure wave to go down the pipe and has a hammering effect when it reaches the other end, which can cause burst pipes and premature wear on other valves etc. If you suffer this problem simply reduce water pressure by closing you main stopcock quater of a turn until it reduces. Sometimes this reduces water pressure too far in which case find the appliance causing the hammer effect and put a valve on the inlet to that appliance so you can reduce pressure to it and not underpressure the whole house.

Another easy way to reduce water hammer is to attatch a long coil of hosepipe to your garden water outlet, seal the pipe one end and turn the tap full on. the hosepipe will fill up and flex slightly with sudden pressure changes reducing the hammer effect.

Hovever if your tap is vibrating it will be the washer.

Water hammer goes bang when you open the tap, then bang when you close it again.

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Best thing to do is undo the tap and take the innards to B&Q or the plummers merchants for the correct washer or part. There are many different types of tap valves and not all use washers. However vibration problems are commonly encountered with traditional style taps with rubber type washers. Reseating is only required if the tap leaks or drips and the metal sealing surface which the washer presses against is uneven or damaged. Reseating is simply sanding the surface flat with a special tool available cheaply from the likes of B&Q.

Hope this helps.

Edited by Silhouette
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You can also get another kind of hammer when drawing hot water from the DHW header tank and you get a Bang Bang Bang Bang at several times per second. This is caused by the float valve and tank oscilating at its natural frequency, and letting a little water out at each oscillation. It can be cured by changing the layout of the tank or replacing the float valve for an equilibrium float valve.

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