Pulsating water from shower
- Thread starter Dorlando13
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Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
That Toto fill valve is easily refurbished by replacing the cap seal which costs around $3...there's no reason if it otherwise works to replace the whole thing. The instructions to do that are on the package and there's videos on the www.korky.com website. No tools required. Might take you 10-minutes the first time, lots less the next. That seal doesn't last forever. How long depends on your water pressure, chemistry, and amount of use.
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Michael Young
In the Trades
try changing out the rubber on the stop valve going to your toilet
WorthFlorida
Clinical Trail on a Cancer Drug Started 1/31/24. ☹
As for the toilet doing it in the middle of the night, The water pressure builds up and it force opens the file valve just slightly and that is probably when it happens or the flapper is leaking. It may take hours for the water in the tank and the fill valve opens but just slightly.
Dorlando13
Member
So I was able to look at the inside of the toilet while it was making it’s whistling or hiccup noise. In the attached picture there were bubbles in the water around the green piece and water was coming out of the black tube into the white pipe. It wasn’t a steady stream of water but little spurts and it sounded like the noise was happening with each spurt of water
does this help with identifying what may be wrong? If the toilet wasn’t being used should it be distributing the water like that?
does this help with identifying what may be wrong? If the toilet wasn’t being used should it be distributing the water like that?
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What was the water pressure during the event? If less than 80, I would replace the fill valve.
Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
This part does a nearly 100% rebuild of the valve you have https://www.homedepot.com/p/Korky-Replacement-Cap-Assembly-for-Fill-Valve-R528CM/202666007 and here are the instructions https://www.korky.com/sites/default/files/media/product/pdf/R528_1.pdf No tools required, should take you less than 10-minutes, and less the second time. Korky makes many (not all) of the fill valves for Toto toilets sold in the USA. From the shape of the top of yours, it is almost certainly one of those. If you follow the instructions, you should see the cap I'm talking about. If you don't, you might have something different, but that's unlikely. I like to have one of these caps available so I can just swap it when I notice a problem rather than having to run to the store for one, or wait for one to be delivered if I order it online. Here's a video showing how to replace it...
It does wear out. The higher your water pressure is, and the more water treatment chemicals in your supply, the faster it wears out. In 99% of the cases with this valve, this part fixes your problem. If you take the old one out, and look at the underside, if it's not a smooth shape, or is cracked, it is the culprit. With excessive water pressure, the seal gets formed to the part above it and eventually cracks. In the interim, I've found that it can have a delay after flushing before the thing breaks loose so water can flow. With the water I have, I find mine last maybe 2-3 years. With some people, theirs can last a decade or longer...it all depends on the water pressure and chemicals in your water.
If your water pressure is excessive, you need to address that, as not only will the toilet valves exhibit issues over time, other things will, too.
Note, it's not uncommon for the water pressure to rise overnight when fewer people are using it, and they're pumping water up into the water towers for the next day.
It does wear out. The higher your water pressure is, and the more water treatment chemicals in your supply, the faster it wears out. In 99% of the cases with this valve, this part fixes your problem. If you take the old one out, and look at the underside, if it's not a smooth shape, or is cracked, it is the culprit. With excessive water pressure, the seal gets formed to the part above it and eventually cracks. In the interim, I've found that it can have a delay after flushing before the thing breaks loose so water can flow. With the water I have, I find mine last maybe 2-3 years. With some people, theirs can last a decade or longer...it all depends on the water pressure and chemicals in your water.
If your water pressure is excessive, you need to address that, as not only will the toilet valves exhibit issues over time, other things will, too.
Note, it's not uncommon for the water pressure to rise overnight when fewer people are using it, and they're pumping water up into the water towers for the next day.
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Are you sure you don't have a PRV or backflow prevention device? Even if you don't have one in your house, the meter may (should) have backflow prevention. It's common for water pressure to increase after you go to sleep because a lot of hot water is used before bedtime (showers, dishwashing, etc), then everyone goes to bed and the faucets are not opened to relieve the pressure that builds as your water heater heats up all the cold water that's was drawn into it before bedtime.
Do you have an expansion tank on the cold water pipe supplying your water heater? If not, get a pressure gauge with a high-pressure indicating needle and put it on your water heater drain.
The red needle will stay at the highest pressure indicated by the black needle (you reset it by manually turning the little brass knob). See if the pressure spikes overnight. If it goes significantly higher than your normal pressure (60 psi), then you have something that's preventing backflow and you MUST install an expansion tank.
If you already have an expansion tank, test it to see if it's waterlogged. If it's not waterlogged, test the air charge pressure. It should be pressurized to the same pressure as your normal water pressure (60 psi).
Do you have an expansion tank on the cold water pipe supplying your water heater? If not, get a pressure gauge with a high-pressure indicating needle and put it on your water heater drain.
The red needle will stay at the highest pressure indicated by the black needle (you reset it by manually turning the little brass knob). See if the pressure spikes overnight. If it goes significantly higher than your normal pressure (60 psi), then you have something that's preventing backflow and you MUST install an expansion tank.
If you already have an expansion tank, test it to see if it's waterlogged. If it's not waterlogged, test the air charge pressure. It should be pressurized to the same pressure as your normal water pressure (60 psi).
Regarding the pulsating problem, it's possible you have some debris in your water pipe. You said you recently had a tee repaired in the attic. Was it copper pipe? If so, a large flake of solder may have been introduced into the piping when the repairs were made. Whoever did the repair should have removed supply lines downstream of the repair and flushed out the pipes, but it's common for people to omit this step.
Hello, so the shower pulsating stopped for two weeks and happened again this morning. Water pressure was previously checked outside and was normal. Should I start with replacing the cartridge on the Moen valve? Could it be anything with the hot water heater? Thanks
Dorlando13
Member
So today the pipes were pulsating with no water running. I took a shower and about 20 minutes after taking a shower the pipes started pulsating but I couldn’t tell where it was doing it because it only lasts about five seconds.
what would make the pipes pulsate with no water running?
what would make the pipes pulsate with no water running?
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