sandspider Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 Morning all Bit of an odd one, so thought I'd ask on here. We have a shower, two heads, and two taps, one to control water temp and one to choose which shower head the water is sent to and with how much power. The other day, it started to hiss, as though water was flowing, but nothing was coming out of either shower head. I fiddled with the taps a bit to see what happened, and discovered that the hissing stopped if I turned the temperature tap to fully cold, and there was also a water hammer bang from the pipework as the flowing noise stopped. No water appears to be leaking into the building (as far as I can see) but I'm not a big fan of unexplained watery hissing noises! Could this mean that the mixer valve in the tap has failed, or something? Where is the water going if not into the shower heads?! This hissing noise did stop for a day or so, even when the temp tap wasn't turned fully cold, but then it started again. I've not dismantled the tap yet, as I'm not sure how to, and I fear opening a whole can of worms! Thanks for any ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgsontour Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 33 minutes ago, sandspider said: Morning all Bit of an odd one, so thought I'd ask on here. We have a shower, two heads, and two taps, one to control water temp and one to choose which shower head the water is sent to and with how much power. The other day, it started to hiss, as though water was flowing, but nothing was coming out of either shower head. I fiddled with the taps a bit to see what happened, and discovered that the hissing stopped if I turned the temperature tap to fully cold, and there was also a water hammer bang from the pipework as the flowing noise stopped. No water appears to be leaking into the building (as far as I can see) but I'm not a big fan of unexplained watery hissing noises! Could this mean that the mixer valve in the tap has failed, or something? Where is the water going if not into the shower heads?! This hissing noise did stop for a day or so, even when the temp tap wasn't turned fully cold, but then it started again. I've not dismantled the tap yet, as I'm not sure how to, and I fear opening a whole can of worms! Thanks for any ideas. First I'd be looking at a burst in this cold weather and after that its spanners and some diy or a plumber to figure it out; good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemused Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 Is the pipework concealed? Ours was and must have been leaking for ages behind the tiles before it became apparent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted March 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 Thanks folks. Yes, the pipework is concealed. I was hoping it might be something simple and common like a mixer valve. ******, will try and figure out how to open it up, and hope it's not somewhere in the depths of the wall... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKD Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 I'd look at claiming off your insurance (if you have any). Weigh up the costs between the repairs Vs the excess. Unless you are capable of fixing it yourself, of course 🙂 Good luck 🤞 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted March 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 I'm hoping it's not a major leak, and that I can fix it myself. But I've been wrong on both these points before! Will look at my home emergency cover. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKD Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 It's usually the case that the plumbing repair is the cheapest part,,,, it's the ripping out and replacement that can be very expensive !!! ATVB 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 5 minutes ago, sandspider said: I'm hoping it's not a major leak, and that I can fix it myself. But I've been wrong on both these points before! Will look at my home emergency cover. Cheers. I would have thought that if its a major leak you would have water dripping from the ceiling, that's if its up stairs? I presume the hot water comes from your combi boiler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted March 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 It's upstairs, yes, and no water dripping from ceiling. Yet! We have a conventional boiler, so it feeds a hot water tank, not to the shower directly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 2 minutes ago, sandspider said: It's upstairs, yes, and no water dripping from ceiling. Yet! We have a conventional boiler, so it feeds a hot water tank, not to the shower directly. Is it a power feed or just gravity feed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted March 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 Gravity feed I think. There is a pump on the system but I believe it's just for central heating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 Well if its gravity feed and you have hot water at the taps it sounds like you have an airlock in the system, also the banging in the pipework suggests an airlock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted March 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 (edited) I'd take an airlock over an actual leak, for sure! Plenty of hot water at the taps, but still the hissing noise. Even before the hissing noise, stopping the shower abruptly when running it a bit cold would cause water hammer too... Thanks for the thoughts. Edited March 9, 2023 by sandspider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 You could try to move the airlock by connecting the cold water to the shower head. Use some garden hose and connect the cold to the shower, open the hot water valve on the shower, then turn on the cold water, after about 2 or 3 minutes turn the cold off then the hot water value on the shower, dont run it for to long as it will fill the header tank, should that happen it should come out through the overflow pipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted March 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 That might be beyond my abilities, but will bear it in mind! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 Surely if there was a leak it wouldn't come and go for a day or so, would it? 🤔 you say there is no evidence of a leak 😏 🤔 Have you got some earplugs so you don't hear the "hissing"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted March 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 I suppose not, but something's amiss! I can definitely hear a water or air hiss in the tap, apart from when the temp tap is turned to fully cold. No evidence of a leak yet, but our house has big, thick stone walls so it might take a while to seep out somewhere... Especially if it is a slow drip somewhere. Maybe it's just air escaping, he said, hopefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted March 9, 2023 Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 You can test for a concealed leak If your stop tap is not passing at all You have an outside or bib tap some place Put a screwfix pressure gauge on the bib tap and turn the stop tap off then go out or someother time consuming thing, Gauge drops you have a leak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted March 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2023 Good thinking, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted March 17, 2023 Report Share Posted March 17, 2023 On 09/03/2023 at 21:43, sandspider said: Good thinking, thanks. Hello, did you get sorted ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted March 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2023 I discovered that the water noise didn't come back (until the shower was used again) as long as the tap was left fully cold for a while. So I decided it can't be a leak as such, and will leave it for a bit, until I have more time! Thanks for checking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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