Taps/Shower making screeching noise

IvyFlood

Hello, hoping for some help

Recently, when we've turned on the taps (bathroom & kitchen), there's been a sort of screeching noise which I can only liken to the sound of a ships horn!

Then this morning it was a lot worse/louder when the shower was on. 

I thought it was coming from the boiler/a pressure issue but the pressure on the boiler (which is in the bathroom) is fine.

On further research we thought it could be trapped air somewhere so husband has bled all the radiators but we're still hearing it. It's not constant, we only hear it when first turning on the tap but when the shower is on it sort of comes and goes.

Any ideas?

BreakingGlass

If there's a water tank in the loft, it could well be a faulty ballcock in that.  The vibrations would be transmitted through the pipework when running the cold water (also when running hot water if the loft tank also supplies the hot water cylinder). 

IvyFlood

BreakingGlass said:

If there's a water tank in the loft, it could well be a faulty ballcock in that.  The vibrations would be transmitted through the pipework when running the cold water (also when running hot water if the loft tank also supplies the hot water cylinder). 

We don't have a water tank we have a combi boiler

ThisIsWeird

Have you had the cold water mains turned off recently? Do you know where the main stopcock is? Try closing it partially off. Test at various stages of offski.

Since this occurs with a number of taps and the shower, the cause clearly cannot be within them. So, it must be something they have in common, and since BGlass's suggestion doesn't apply, the next place to look for a vibrating rubber washer is the stopcock.

Is your cold sink tap water flow very strong?

IvyFlood

ThisIsWeird said:

Have you had the cold water mains turned off recently? Do you know where the main stopcock is? Try closing it partially off. Test at various stages of offski.

Since this occurs with a number of taps and the shower, the cause clearly cannot be within them. So, it must be something they have in common, and since BGlass's suggestion doesn't apply, the next place to look for a vibrating rubber washer is the stopcock.

Is your cold sink tap water flow very strong?

No we haven't. All I can think of is we started using the outside tap more often.

Will have a look at stopcock, I'm not sure where it is but hopefully husband knows!

The bathroom tap is a mixer but the flow is VERY strong. The kitchen sink tap ive never noticed the flow being that strong just normal.

BreakingGlass

IvyFlood said:

BreakingGlass said:

If there's a water tank in the loft, it could well be a faulty ballcock in that.  The vibrations would be transmitted through the pipework when running the cold water (also when running hot water if the loft tank also supplies the hot water cylinder). 

We don't have a water tank we have a combi boiler

They are not mutually exclusive - older properties often have both.

ThisIsWeird

IvyFlood said:

ThisIsWeird said:

Have you had the cold water mains turned off recently? Do you know where the main stopcock is? Try closing it partially off. Test at various stages of offski.

Since this occurs with a number of taps and the shower, the cause clearly cannot be within them. So, it must be something they have in common, and since BGlass's suggestion doesn't apply, the next place to look for a vibrating rubber washer is the stopcock.

Is your cold sink tap water flow very strong?

No we haven't. All I can think of is we started using the outside tap more often.

Will have a look at stopcock, I'm not sure where it is but hopefully husband knows!

The bathroom tap is a mixer but the flow is VERY strong. The kitchen sink tap ive never noticed the flow being that strong just normal.

Can't see a connection with the outside tap, assuming you have shut it off properly!

Lawdie - find out where your stopcock is, for obvious reasons!

Interesting how the bath tap is seemingly stronger than the kitchen, but it's probably because it's fed by 22mm pipes, and the tap itself is larger, so it'll be maximising the flow from the mains (with a combi system, all water is from the mains - allowing for BGlass's very rare scenario). Your kitchen tap might even be an 'eco' type, with a flow restrictor.

Ok, find out where your stopcock is, and close it off a good few turns. Get it to the point where the flow out t'tap has just been affected, and check for the noise. If it's gorn, then open the SC back up in increments to try and restore full flow, but hopefully keeping the noise at bay. See f there's a point that works. (This is not the solution, but it might do the trick.)

Most likely source of the noise is the SC itself, with the rubber washer inside resonating like a reed. Fractionally changing the flow might sort this, but the proper solution is a repair or replace, both should be relatively easy. If 'replace', then consider fitting a full-bore lever ball valve instead, as these can be shut off in a second, and rarely seize open. And they don't vibe.