Faucet noise

[Charlie S.]

Had the plumber put in a new faucet over the weekend. Gives a slight kick or thumping noise when I turn on the water. Doesn't happen if I turn on the water again right after I turn it off. Not sure what the problem might be. Some ideas I came up with are: faucet's design, the installation, or the hose that leads from the pipes is too narrow. Could water be backing down after we turn off the water creating a vacuum break or some sort. Not sure what it could be. Anyone know what might be the cause and how it might be repaired? I know I could ask the plumber. Just would like to have some background on what the problem might be before calling him.

Other info, we have half inch pipes throughout the house. The hose looks like it's 3/8" (or less?). Seems narrow that's for sure. The faucet is an American Standard. Here is a link to what it looks like.

[Meat Plow]

Don't see why all of a sudden you would need one but you can ask about a Water Hammer Arrester.

[Joseph Meehan]

Is it possible one of the "hoses" is close to a wall or another pipe and may be hitting it as the water is turned on and it flexes a little? The size of that flexible connector should not be a problem.

Try holding onto the flexible connectors, one at a time and see if you can feel the movement or if the sound goes away while you are holding it.

[Speedy Jim]

The "thump" is a common noise associated with the "diverter" valve used with the spray wand. The diverter is located in the base of the faucet. When water pressure is first applied, the valve quickly reacts to close off flow to the wand and "divert" it to the faucet spout.

Jim

[Meat Plow]

I installed an identical unit in my girlfriends home a few months back and don't recall a noticeable thump let alone something objectionable.

[Speedy Jim]

You might have been lucky, or the service pressure at the GF's house is lower than at OP's. Jim

[Charlie S.]

The pipe shakes when I turn on the water. The hot pipe shakes more than the cold. Held the hose itself. Didn't have any effect on the noise. .

Held the pipe and it seemed to dampen things a bit. The pipes are not supported by anything. They are suspended a half inch off the floor and don't hit against anything that I can see, unless it's hidden from further away. I would have to have someone hold the other end of the pipe at the same time to see if that dampened the noise more.

Doubt it's the unsecured pipes are causing the problem. Have a feeling the spray hose wand diverter (mentioned previously) may be the culprit. Not sure though.

You are also correct the water pressure in the house is low. We have half inch piping throughout. Had thought of changing to 3/4" for part of the house for shower purposes. But, really don't need it.

So, that narrows it down to a. poorly secured pipes..... unlikely? b. the diverter mechanism c. low water pressure. d. combination of b and c.

My next step will be to get someone else to hold the other end of the pipe and see if that dampens the noise. Have a feeling it won't do much.

Might that water hammer arrester be something I should be thinking about. Or, should I call the faucet company and ask about how to rectify the diverter problem?

[Effty]

I'd do the water hammer arrester. My guess is that you replaced an old, short handled faucet with a new, long-handled one, and now you are essentially turning off the flow of water much more decisively, hence, you now have a water hammer. It can happen anywhere you have a quick closing valve.

~e.

[Charlie S.]

Tried that.... didn't work. Kick still there even if I lift very slowly

Noticed something odd (at least odd to me). When I turned the handle from hot to cold the turning radius goes further in the hot direction than in the cold direction. I can only turn 45 degrees toward the cold. But, almost 70 degrees in the hot direction. Is this normal?

Maybe the water hammer arrester is the way to go?

[Homer]

I really think you are being a bit paranoid about all this.

All houses make noises and after a very short peiod of time, you won't even notice the noise. I can sit in my study and hear when the water is turned on at the other end of the house or even outside in the garden. If it was a thump instead of a whish, so what. Not a big deal.