Hello-
I am having a water flow problem. We recently had our 2nd shower worked on (replaced the stem approx 4 months ago). Ever since when you use the kitchen sink on hot water only, the water pulsates on full flow. If you move it from hot to less hot, it stops. Also just recently (last week) the pulsating has moved to our main shower and you can now hear a little banging noise. Let me explain our townhouse. Top floor is a master bedroom w/master bath (seperate shower & tub). Middle floor is living area with full bath (shower only no tub). Bottom floor is dining area w/kitchen. Water heater is located on bottom floor.
Is it maybe air in the system. I'd rather not call a plumber because in my area they charge $70 bux to diagnose the problem. Oh, also the pipes are boyfriend goodrich plastic. Please help. Thanks
Greg:confused:

Hey Greg,

This is called "seat chatter" and is caused by a piece of broken washer or a small pebble vibrating against the seat as the water rushes by. Pipes will pick this up and carry it all over the house. We call that "sympathetic vibration". When I'm faced with this problem I feel where the vibration's the strongest and then turn the water off and open up the faucet. I look for trash or crud that may be in there and then turn the water back on to flush anything out that may be in there. Let me know if this helps. Regards, Tom