Toilet making low hum sound when flushing

[Isaiah M]

Hello, experts,

I am a novice DIY’er. I recently started noticing that when I flush the toilet I hear a low deep hum as I flush the toilet. I have no ideas what this is. Should I be concerned?

I would appreciate your thoughts, advice and direction.

Isaiah

 

[Terry]

The humming is normally a fill valve that is vibrating. If it's a banging, then it can be a loose washer at the wall stop. Sometimes opening that valve quiets the vibration. A new shutoff also does it.

How old is the toilet? You may be thinking of a new fill valve in the tank at some point.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

I replaced this fill valve that came with the new toilet we had installed in 2007. The fill valve was still working, but the flapper was barely there. I wound replacing the handle, the flapper, the fill valve and the shutoff at the wall with a 1/4 turn.

The homeowner was 90 and was saying as I was leaving,

"That should last me a lifetime."

 

[Isaiah M]

The humming is normally a fill valve that is vibrating. If it's a banging, then it can be a loose washer at the wall stop. Sometimes opening that valve quiets the vibration. A new shutoff also does it.

How old is the toilet? You may be thinking of a new fill valve in the tank at some point.

Hi, there, Terry!

thanks for the response. The toilet is about 2 years old. I replaced everything when I installed it (toilet, wax ring, water hose connector from wall to toilet).

when you say say there is a loose washer is that at the water hose connector from wall to toilet? Which end would this most likely be happening on the end where the wall is at or where it connects to the toilet? Do these shut off valves go bad a within two years of use?

isaiah

 

[Terry]

It may be nothing.
The loose washer I was mentioning would have been at the wall shutoff. Sometimes very old ones develop problems.

 

[Reach4]

thanks for the response. The toilet is about 2 years old. I replaced everything when I installed it (toilet, wax ring, water hose connector from wall to toilet).

Terry is talking about the stop valve -- the thing the connector hose connects to.

Try opening that more , or partially closing it.

 

[Isaiah M]

Terry is talking about the stop valve -- the thing the connector hose connects to.

Try opening that more , or partially closing it.

thanks, Reach4.

So if I’m hearing you correctly, I should do the following:

• Shut off the water supply going to the toilet
• Flush toilet to drain water
• Try to get as much water out of the tank as possible
• Unplug the hose from the toilet
• The connector on the toilet side you should be able to tighten or loosen it.
  
• Connect everything back up > supply water > reflush to test. Do reverse tighten or loose if you did one or the other first?

 

[Isaiah M]

By the way, I really appreciate your advice. I love to learn and I appreciate your willingness to teach. A million thanks.

 

[Reach4]

thanks, Reach4.

So if I’m hearing you correctly, I should do the following:

• Shut off the water supply going to the toilet
• Flush toilet to drain water
• Try to get as much water out of the tank as possible
• Unplug the hose from the toilet
• The connector on the toilet side you should be able to tighten or loosen it.
  
• Connect everything back up > supply water > reflush to test. Do reverse tighten or loose if you did one or the other first?

Looks right if you need to change out the fill valve. When undoing from the toilet, it would look CCW to loosen if you are looking from below. Viewed from above it might seem like CW, but if you think about it, you are really turning CCW to loosen.

Towel or two is good for sopping up the remaining water.

However first, just try changing the degree that the valve is open. Sometimes that is all you need to be rid of a sound.

 

[Jadnashua]

Depending on the brand and model of the fill valve, some of them do make some noise. But, if your house water pressure is excessive, that can cause some noises as well. While you're out, pick up a water pressure gauge and check your pressure. Many of them have a second, tattle tale hand that will show the peak pressure. Wouldn't hurt to leave it attached for 24-hours or so to see what the peak pressure is. If it exceeds 80psi, you should install a pressure reduction valve (PRV) and an expansion tank (ET) to your system. IF it's high, adding those will make all of your washers and things last longer and bring your home into compliance with the codes.

On some toilet fill valves, especially if your water pressure is high, the seal can start to wear out, even in 2-years (also depends on how many chemicals they use to treat the water), and just replacing the seal (often a $3 or so part) can fix your problem. Course, a new valve will come with a new seal and some designs are quieter than others.