I am experiencing a constant vibration that sounds like a humming or buzzing noise coming from the pipes in the basement when any tap in the house is turned on. When the washing machine is turned on it gets even louder, probably due to the higher water flow. The plumbing is plastic and only 8 years old. Any ideas on how to fix it would be appreciated.

Do you have a pressure reducing valve on the system? If so, that would be a good place to start looking. Also, I have seen malfunctioning water softners cause this issue. Just have track down where the noise is the loudest.

Sounds like a vibrating washer in your main shut off but we should know the waters psi as it enters the house and , like MGD asks is there a PRV to reduce the pressure. If so, rediced to what after the PRV.

Another place to look in in your toilet tank. Pop- the lids and check the water level. It should be 1/2" below the white overflow tube. No higher. Now with the lid still off turn a cold water faucet on and off. Did the float ball bounce up and down a bit? Let me know. Tom

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Originally Posted by speedball1

Another place to look in in your toilet tank. Pop- the lids and check the water level. It should be 1/2" below the white overflow tube. No higher. Now with the lid still off turn a cold water faucet on and off. Did the float ball bounce up and down a bit? Let me know. Tom

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Hello Tom for my curiosity what will the toilet tank water level has to do with this, Thanks.

John

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Originally Posted by afaroo

Hello Tom for my curiosity what will the toilet tank water level has to do with this, Thanks.

John

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OK John,
I've had this problem in the past. This is how I explained it in a earlier post.

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What's happening is the water seeping past the flapper lowers the water level in the tank and the ballcock attempts to compensate. In time the water seeping out and the water coming in will balance out. The ballcock can't shut off and the sound you hear is the washer vibrating against its seat. The repair is simple. Replace the flapper. It can also happen when the tank level's just about to overflow into the overflow tube. Pop[ the lid and watch the float ball. Now turn on and off ,real quick, a cold water faucet, Did the float ball bob a b it? If so it kicked on the ball cock. When that happens it's possible for both the water coming in and the water seeping out to set up an balance causing the washer to vibrate. This can set up a synthetic vibration in the house pipes that will carry all over the house. The solution would be to set the tank levels and recharge the bathroom air chambers.

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It all has to do with balance. If the water seeping is the same as the water seeping out then that washer's going to vibrate.
Did that answer your question? Cheers. Tom

Thank you <canyoufixit> for your question. This is the same thing occurring in our home. One thing I would add is that in our noise problem, the humming/buzzing sound stops shortly after the water source is turned off, or the toilet stops filling. Our sound can be heard throughout the house but seems to be loudest in the utility room where the water main line is. Any further help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi dscheele and Welcome to The Plumbing Page. At AskMeHelpDesk.com.
Do you have a PRV (pressure reducing valve) installed? Back to you, Tom

Thank you very much for the info! Yes, there is a pressure reducing valve on the main line. Could this be the source of the problem.
Thank you in advance
Don Scheele

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Originally Posted by cscheele

Thank you very much for the info! Yes, there is a pressure reducing valve on the main line. Could this be the source of the problem.
Thank you in advance
Don Scheele

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Yes it could. If the vibration's strongest at the PRV valve you've located the culprit. Good luck, Tom