High Water Pressure??

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Rosella

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When running water from the spout to fill our bathtub we are experiencing very loud noise from the water pipes. So much so that we cannot hear the tv in the room below. It does not happen when the shower is being used in the same tub. We had our bathroom renovated six months ago with new pipes and fixtures. The noise was happening before the renovation. When we are on vacation and return and use the bathtub spout it is okay for a couple of days and then the noise returns. We did get our water heater replaced a couple of years ago but I can't remember if it coincided with the noise starting. I did a test on the water flow coming out of the spout and out of the shower head. Spout - 16 litres per minute and shower head - 7 litres per minute. There is obviously a problem with the water flow out of the spout but no plumber seems to know what it might be. Can anyone help?
Thanks.
 

LLigetfa

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It is normal to have much higher flow from the spout than from the showerhead. If you describe the valve assembly in more detail the source of the noise may be more easily determined. It could be a loose washer or a faulty pressure balance spool.
 

Rosella

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It is normal to have much higher flow from the spout than from the showerhead. If you describe the valve assembly in more detail the source of the noise may be more easily determined. It could be a loose washer or a faulty pressure balance spool.
I am assuming you mean what type of tub and shower kit I have. It is the Moen Traditional posi-temp tub/shower kit. See http://www.moen.ca/traditional/chrome-posi-temp-r-tub-shower/_/R-CA-CONSUMER:82008EP for more details. The loud noise was happening before this kit as installed. If I didn't answer your question let me know. Thanks.
 

Cacher_Chick

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Often such noises are amplified because the piping is touching the house framing or sometimes even the type of pipe hangars that were used. Once you are able to identify the general area of the noise, trace the piping and do whatever needs to be done to make sure it is not touching wood or other piping.
 
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It is normal to have much higher flow from the spout than from the showerhead. If you describe the valve assembly in more detail the source of the noise may be more easily determined. It could be a loose washer or a faulty pressure balance spool.


Yes, roughly 4 gpm vs. 2 gpm is normal. Numbers will vary with type of shower head and system pressure but this is the ballpark difference. Flow restriction/pressure compensation is usually somewhere in showerhead assembly. (When I had ones underperforming specs I actually used a very small drill bit to fix the problem in some designs.) Flow in my current Moen shower valve doubled when I tested without the showerhead.

Moen made/makes a lousy version of a low flow head that had too many holes (roughly 48) in a poor pattern. They made for very unsatisfying showers with no real impulse to the stream. As a result we showered longer trying to get comfortable, without success. I replaced two Moen showerheads with low flow Evolve showerhead that I used in my old home (this one, original Roadrunner has 36 holes, newer type Roadrunner II's have much more...might not be a good thing but I haven't tested the new ones.) The whole family has been thrilled to have the "old" showerheads back again. These older Roadrunners were non-aerated, but had good velocity. Spray pattern design is critical and I like theirs. I've had to do this sort of layout frequently for plant equipment design in reactors, distillation columns, demisters, and spray cooling belts and am picky about even distribution in my designs. Many process equipment designers don't appreciate/consider the geometry of proper flow distribution and their designs underperform as a result.

Non-aerated designs don't lose as much temperature/heat before they hit your body (roughly 5 F + degree difference.) They also don't steam up the room as rapidly as a result. Non-aerated showerheads are more thermally efficient, but need to be paired with a tight design to give a good shower. Aerated designs provide an air/water mix that impinges more at a given flow rate, making for a more vigorous shower in a good design, but sometimes this is too much of a good thing... and aerated designs are inherently less thermally efficient.
 
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When running water from the spout to fill our bathtub we are experiencing very loud noise from the water pipes. So much so that we cannot hear the tv in the room below. It does not happen when the shower is being used in the same tub. We had our bathroom renovated six months ago with new pipes and fixtures. The noise was happening before the renovation. When we are on vacation and return and use the bathtub spout it is okay for a couple of days and then the noise returns. We did get our water heater replaced a couple of years ago but I can't remember if it coincided with the noise starting. I did a test on the water flow coming out of the spout and out of the shower head. Spout - 16 litres per minute and shower head - 7 litres per minute. There is obviously a problem with the water flow out of the spout but no plumber seems to know what it might be. Can anyone help?
Thanks.

I don't know and this is tough to diagnose without being there. One suspects some sort of resonant frequency that coincides with the hangers in the run. As another mentioned the hanging arrangement can result in some noise. However, the amount of hammering you describe is excessive.

It could be flow rate. Is the valve a type that you can throttle or is it mix only? Testing a range of flowrates or if fixed flow then even 100% hot, 100% cold, and 50/50 might show some difference.

The part about it disappearing when absent for awhile suggests it might be some sort of water hammer issue. Being away perhaps some gas gets trapped/collects in dead legs and serves as a noise damper. After a few days of use the gas is dissolved/entrained and the hammering/noise resumes.

One thing I have seen is a PRV chattering loudly for the first 30 secs or so when the sprinker valve is on. In this case the total flow rate greatly exceeds normal design as the lines inventory.
 
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