howl from water pipes

[RG]

After I showered and shaved in our bathroom this morning, I heard an unusual, animal-like howl that repeated several times. After confirming that there was no dog or other animal making this sound outside the window, I discovered that I could control the sound by turning the sink faucet off and on. On closer inspection, I believe that that the source of the sound is inside the bathroom's outside wall (the exterior of the house) -- where the pipes run. (I now recall hearing similar sounds in the past, but perhaps not so loud.) What problem might I have with the pipes?

[Speedy Jim]

Do a GOOGLE search for Poltergeist.

Actually, the most common cause of such howlings, foghorns, screeches is a worn out toilet ballcock (fill valve).

To see if that is the case, turn off the water supply to the toilet(s) and see if the ghost departs. If you don't have a separate shutoff, try holding the float in the tank with your hand and see if that alters the noise.

The fix is to replace the ballcock.

Jim

[Don Phillipson]

Same phenomenon began here after the 1999 ice storm (no electricity for 8 days thus no activity in well-supplied water system), different in that not much changed by basin faucets. Sounds ended after bathroom remodeling included a new connection between water supply and pedestal toilet (replacing soldered pipes by a screw-on connector.)

-- Don Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)