# Strange noise



## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Sitting here ready for bed when my wife called me from in the bathroom. I went in and heard a strange humming noise. Sounded like the fart fan was bound up, but it was not. Checked the pressure gauge in the closet and the water pressure was stable, so no leaks under the house. Put my ear to the tub and could swear it was coming from the water heater in the closet right behind the tub. Nope. Went into the attic, nothing, went into the crawl space and nothing. The damned noise was coming from the back of the tub, I swear. I put my ear to the Delta faucet and could not hear anything, but put my ear back at the back of the tub and I can hear it. Just for GP's I cut off the water and drained down the air tank, the noise stopped. Panic! I dont want to crawl up under this house late this night. So I pulled the shower valve apart and could see nothing wrong, so I put the cartridge back in and the noise stopped. Must have been some dirt or something stuck in the valve. Strange thing is though no water was leaking through the tub spout.

This is the cartridge:

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

What kind of water heater? Does it have those "marble" type heat traps made into the nipples?


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Dont think so, this WH is about 25 years old. I put my ear to the WH and the noise definitely was not coming from there.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Does the house have a PRV? Sometimes they chatter.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

No PRV


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

I think it may have been the valve chattering. She is done now and said the noise has not returned.


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

They can/will chatter.


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## AlbacoreShuffle (Aug 28, 2011)

Titan Plumbing said:


> They can/will chatter.


Wifes ?


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

Them too!


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

I've worked with countless Delta Monitors and never heard them do that. I'll file it in my _"you've gotta be kidding me"_ file for when it comes up. Good to know.


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## hroark2112 (Apr 16, 2011)

It was humming because it doesn't know the words.

Thank you. Have the veal. I'll be here all week.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

The problem is the valve was OFF, no water was running through it. Its always been my experience that they hum when running, not when they are off. Never delt with this type cartridge before, so I did not know if any rubber parts may have been letting water seep by making the noise. Anyways I still dont hear it, so what ever it was is fine for now.


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Bill said:


> The problem is the valve was OFF, no water was running through it. Its always been my experience that they hum when running, not when they are off. Never delt with this type cartridge before, so I did not know if any rubber parts may have been letting water seep by making the noise. Anyways I still dont hear it, so what ever it was is fine for now.


Circ pump?


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## TPWinc (May 30, 2011)

The pressure balance valve on that cartrige is upstream of the volume/shut off valve. Water was probably leaking from the hot side to the cold side. Could be from a recirc pump or it could be from heat traps on the WH and thermal expansion. I've had similar issues with the Moen 3 function Moentrol valve. A retrofit recirc pump, that bypasses to the cold for a return, can cause the PBV to stick in the hot position. No matter where you turn the temp control all you get is hot. I've never heard one hum from this but they certainly could.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Bill said:


> The problem is the valve was OFF, no water was running through it.....



I know the problem stopped after pulling the cartridge, cleaning, and reinstalling but my gut tells me it was a coincidence.

Based on what I know about that 13/14 series cartridge, if no water is running out of the spout or shower head, then none of the spooling mechanisms and moving parts were getting water either.

I have had them act up with high water pressure over 100psi but even then the symptom was running water, not noise.

It is certainly a quandary.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

May or may not have been the faucet. I know it was nothing like the water heater, toilet, fart fan, and like I stated before, the noise could not be heard from the faucet, but it was clear as a bell at the rear of the tub. There is NO electrical, plumbing, fans, nothing at the rear of the tub. May have been coincidence it stopped after I puled the valve. Thought maybe someone out there may have had a similar problem.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Definitely a head scratcher.


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

I once had a customer who thought they heard a humming noise and believed it to be water. I arrived and did my thing and could not discover a water line or a drain line leak. Finally the customer shouts do you hear that. Sure enough we heard a humming noise. It was a roof vent installed at the peak of the roof and had fan blades. When the wind blew it would turn the fan blades.


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## sikxsevn (Jun 23, 2009)

Richard Hilliard said:


> I once had a customer who thought they heard a humming noise and believed it to be water. I arrived and did my thing and could not discover a water line or a drain line leak. Finally the customer shouts do you hear that. Sure enough we heard a humming noise. It was a roof vent installed at the peak of the roof and had fan blades. When the wind blew it would turn the fan blades.


That whirly-bird must have had a bad bearing then, brand new they are dead silent

Sent from my iPhon


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Richard Hilliard said:


> I once had a customer who thought they heard a humming noise and believed it to be water. I arrived and did my thing and could not discover a water line or a drain line leak. Finally the customer shouts do you hear that. Sure enough we heard a humming noise. It was a roof vent installed at the peak of the roof and had fan blades. When the wind blew it would turn the fan blades.



How much did that cost her RH?:laughing:


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## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

Since were talking about this I have an A.O. smith water heater and it hums ..Don't know why just to lazy to fix it ... Anyone have a idea why?

I replaced the water heater 4 a customer because he said it would hum I thought he was crazy because it didn't hum when I was there..The water heater is only 4 yrs old ...so I installed it in my home.. now I know we are both crazy:laughing:


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## bikefitter0 (Nov 22, 2011)

Bill, 25 year old water heater, sounds like the shoe maker storie.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

ap plumbing said:


> Since were talking about this I have an A.O. smith water heater and it hums ..Don't know why just to lazy to fix it ... Anyone have a idea why?
> 
> I replaced the water heater 4 a customer because he said it would hum I thought he was crazy because it didn't hum when I was there..The water heater is only 4 yrs old ...so I installed it in my home.. now I know we are both crazy:laughing:


 





Is it electric? I have had that same scenario. It was an old heating element that made a humming noise. It was sort of loud. I replaced both elements, and it stoppped.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

I've seen some bad Apcom thermostats hum, but they were arcing out electric fire at the same time. Does that count?


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

89plumbum said:


> How much did that cost her RH?:laughing:


 Not much charged a service fee only. I believe in the old addage that I must pay to learn too.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Tommy plumber said:


> Is it electric? I have had that same scenario. It was an old heating element that made a humming noise. It was sort of loud. I replaced both elements, and it stoppped.


I had an older customer make a similar complaint on a new rheem i installed, she said (because it did'nt do it for me) it made a crackling noise so I replaced elements and she said the noise continued only at night. I did'nt want to argue so I just changed it out with a new rheem.

Less than two years she calls back and says its leaking. I had to replace it again. Charged her for labor only.

What was this thread about?


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## ap plumbing (Nov 9, 2010)

Tommy plumber said:


> Is it electric? I have had that same scenario. It was an old heating element that made a humming noise. It was sort of loud. I replaced both elements, and it stoppped.


 no its gas... sounds like its not safe...


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Think I figured it out. yesterday a friend of mine stopped by. She used to live about 45 miles away, but moved within 2 miles of me. I asked her if she knew we lived on a fault line, and she said no. So I told her where it ran and that twice a year or so you can hear strange humming noise in the air, seems to come from everywhere and yet no where in particular. Once it actually caused damage to buildings. She said that may explain the humming she heard the same night I did. She thought it was a race car idling or some piece of equipment running or something. 

I thought the fill valve on the toilet, then I thought maybe the shower valve, but then I was lost. Maybe its another tremor. They do act strangely. Sometimes it sounds as if a jet fighter is flying overhead, but you cant figure out where the noise stars from, going to, or ends.


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## RealCraftsMan (Dec 27, 2011)

Bill said:


> Think I figured it out. yesterday a friend of mine stopped by. She used to live about 45 miles away, but moved within 2 miles of me. I asked her if she knew we lived on a fault line, and she said no. So I told her where it ran and that twice a year or so you can hear strange humming noise in the air, seems to come from everywhere and yet no where in particular. Once it actually caused damage to buildings. She said that may explain the humming she heard the same night I did. She thought it was a race car idling or some piece of equipment running or something.
> 
> I thought the fill valve on the toilet, then I thought maybe the shower valve, but then I was lost. Maybe its another tremor. They do act strangely. Sometimes it sounds as if a jet fighter is flying overhead, but you cant figure out where the noise stars from, going to, or ends.


learn new stuff everyday....next time I'll just blame it on a fault line.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

May or may not have been. Still thinking the shower valve though for some reason.


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