wierd one for the plumbers

[homer]

What's happening is this. About 1 AM my immersion heater fires up on the economy seven. Some time later my water pipes seem to start resonating. The noise is like a mournful whining which wakes us up. The cure is to turn off the cold water at the main valve. In the morning when we turn the water back on again there is no problem (immersion off). Anybody any idea what's going on? We recently replaced the sink in the kitchen. Any connection or coincidence?

[shazzbat]

Your house is haunted, obviously.

The cure is to turn off

. The pipes are vibrating with the expansion. I would get up and feel the pipes to try to find out the worst point where the pipes are moving, either against each other or against their retaining clips etc. You may be able to fix it by securing a pipe.

We recently replaced the sink in the kitchen. Any connection or

Possibly, but I wouldn't have thought so.

Steve

[Bob Watkinson]

Nah, wrong council tax band plus killer collie to sort out any ghosts. .

I cant work out how shutting the cold water main valve stops it. Also surely the water in the hot pipes remain cold irrespective of what's going on in the tank unless I run a tap so how can they be expanding?.

[shazzbat]

OK, I didn't explain well. I also didn't explain I'm not a plumber by trade, but bear with me. You're putting heat into the system and that causes expansion. It has to go somewhere. When one pipe expands, it may be restrained by it's clips etc, then suddenly move as the resistance is overcome, a bit like the plate movement which triggers an earthquake, only in this case it starts something else vibrating. We had this and I fixed it by securing a pipe, only for a different pipe to start tapping against another one. I fixed that one, also by securing it better, and that did the trick.

Does it stop the noise if you run a tap for a short while?

Steve

[Bob Watkinson]

Thanks Steve. Yes it nearly stops if I run the kitchen tap. When I fitted the sink I didn't clip the pipe just left them hanging behind the dishwasher/washing machine. Could this cause it somehow. The noise sounds a bit like the wind when it whistles through telegraph wires.

[shazzbat]

OK, to keep it simple, if this noise started when you did the sink, and you didn't secure the pipes, your next course of action is obviously to secure them. But first I would get up when the noise starts, get under the sink with a torch, grab the pipes one at a time, and see what you have to do to make it stop. Let's say you *gently* move the pipe to position a, then b, then c, and the noise stops when the pipe is in position c, you need to find a way of securing it in that position.

And don't forget to put back any electrical earth bonding, and check for leaks.

Steve

[Bob Watkinson]

Cheers Steve, I'll try that. Funnily enough though, all was quiet last night. Spooky eh!

>

[Stickems.]

Try reducing the mains input pressure a tad by turning the tap half a turn anti-clockwise.

| >>> Does it stop the noise if you run a tap for a short while? | >>>

| >>

| >> Thanks Steve. Yes it nearly stops if I run the kitchen tap. When I fitted | >> the sink I didn't clip the pipe just left them hanging behind the | >> dishwasher/washing machine. Could this cause it somehow. The noise sounds | >> a bit like the wind when it whistles through telegraph wires. | >>

| >>> Steve | >>>

| > OK, to keep it simple, if this noise started when you did the sink, and | > you didn't secure the pipes, your next course of action is obviously to | > secure them. But first I would get up when the noise starts, get under the | > sink with a torch, grab the pipes one at a time, and see what you have to | > do to make it stop. Let's say you *gently* move the pipe to position a, | > then b, then c, and the noise stops when the pipe is in position c, you | > need to find a way of securing it in that position. | >

| > And don't forget to put back any electrical earth bonding, and check for | > leaks. | >

| > Steve | Cheers Steve, I'll try that. Funnily enough though, all was quiet last | night. Spooky eh! | >

| |

[Bob Watkinson]

Thanks, gonna try that tonight

[Bob Watkinson]

Problem Solved.

A short while ago the whining noise started up again (obviously economy 7 water heating off). Not being in the early hours of the morning we were able to investigate more fully. We pulled the washing machine out to try holding the pipes and found the blue appliance hose leaking at the washing machine end in a fine jet. We stopped the leak and cured the problem. So it looks like the fact that it was highly audible in the bathroom and the economy 7 were red herrings. Many thanks for all your help folks. I can look forward to a good nights kip. Strange how the leak seems to have been intermittent though. Must be something to do with increased supply pressure.