Humming water pipes

pineapple

I've been getting an intermittent humming sound a few times a day. It sounds like the noise you get when you turn a tap on with air in the system. Except this is when I am not using the water.
The sound is loudest near the built in fridge freezer. At first I thought it was the motor but now I think it's something to do with the pipes. You can feel a vibration by just touching the tap or sink unit when it happens
On the floor above is a combi boiler (not on when this happens) and further along the wall from the freezer is a frost free fridge. Further along from that is the stop tap.
I am not aware of any leaks and I don't know if it's an appliance or a plumbing problem. The adjacent house is unoccupied so it's not due to water use there. Help!
PS I've bled the radiators.

aboard_epsilon

must be the toilet then.

all vibrations travel down all pipes that are connected to each other when you have this sort of problem ..

change the washer on the ball valve in the toilet ....if it still happens turn down the pressure at your stop valve ..rising main.

all the best.markj

keystone

aboard_epsilon wrote: »

must be the toilet then.

Why?

...if it still happens turn down the pressure at your stop valve ..rising main.

Try adjusting this either way first.

Cheers

keystone

pineapple wrote: »

The sound is loudest near the built in fridge freezer.

Does it have a water connection a for one of those fancy ice maker / chilled water gizmos?

Cheers

Plumbers_Shop_Lee

Can the OP tell us what boiler they have as this may be relevant?

pineapple

The freezer and fridge do not have one of those ice making/water cooling facilities so should not be connected to the water.
The boiler is a Baxi combi and is upstairs directly above the sink and the area where the noise is loudest.
It did have a small leak on it till recently which has since been fixed and the boiler has been serviced. But the noise was happening before then.
Anyhow I turned down the water at the stop. Result - still the occasional noise but a lot quieter.
I did some googling and it seems the toilet is often the culprit. Though having had a look in the cistern, I can't see any signs there of the water being replenished. Anyone know a test?
It's all a bit worrying as the intermittent noise to me indicates an intermittent flow of water. But how and where?
It happens randomly, not particularly when I am running water.

keystone

pineapple wrote: »

I did some googling and it seems the toilet is often the culprit.

But by no means.

Though having had a look in the cistern, I can't see any signs there of the water being replenished.

Sorry don't understand what you mean here. Does the toilet not fill up when you flush?

It's all a bit worrying as the intermittent noise to me indicates an intermittent flow of water. But how and where? It happens randomly, not particularly when I am running water

Does it happen when you turn a tap off or the washing machine stops filling? A valve closing too quickly will cause water hammer but I'm not totally convinced thats what you are describing here.

Cheers

pineapple

As I said originally, it happens when I am not running water. So not using the toilet, not using the washing machine, no heating on, no taps turned on. Nothing having just been turned on or off. It's an intermittent whine/hum that happens even when nothing has been in use for the last hour or two. Re the toilet, I was checking the cistern to see if I could spot any sort of water movement when not in use.
I am not getting the hammer effect. It's the whining noise that often precedes a hammer when you have air in the system.
PS I checked when it last did it and you could detect a vibration in the pipe to and from the stop.
I only have neighbours on one side and wondered if it could be anything to do with them as they had heard it too. They are going away tonight so I'll know!

aboard_epsilon

take the lid off the cistern and observe whats happening after you flush it ...washer trouble can go on for hours ...

you will probably see a little magical event happening ..

water dribbles sends a ripple across cistern ...ball-valve moves ..more water dribbles .....and this can go on for sometime.

over pressure in conjunction with worn washer can cause this ..

water pressure to the house as a whole can go up and down as neighbouring properties use water .

so what is happening can be intermitant.

all the best.markj

Canucklehead

Hi,

A rodent ate your main https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2718375

Does the boiler have DHW preheat?


GSR.

pineapple

A rodent ate my main? Ha ha... Actually on that, I had a word with next door and they say their cat is staring at that corner...
I have no idea what DHW preheat is, sorry. Goes off to google.... Comes back... Without digging out the manual, I don't think so. I could run round the block 3 times and cook a 4 course meal in the time it takes the water to heat up. What a waste of water. I would never have a combi if I had a water meter.