Hi:

One of my upstairs bathroom pipes started making loud noise after flushing. I did some online search and there was suggestion to rerlenish the air chamber. I tried to do that in two different ways (not sure if I did it right or which one is correct way). First, I turned off the main valve, opened all the water faucets, upon water drained out I turned all faucets and turned the valve on. Secondly, I turned off the main valve, opened the top faucet upstairs and the lowest faucet (or think that is the lowest) downstairs, let the water drain out, turned off the lowest faucet and turned on the main valve (did not turn off the top faucet). However, now I have the problem in all three bathroom. Can anyone please help me? I am not a handy type person anyway. Btw, I have noticed the noise started at the later end of the toilet tank being getting full. If I pull the lever with hand little bit the sound goes away.

Any help will be highly appreciated.

Hard to imagine all three toilets fail at the same time. Are you on city water? Do you know where your Pressure Reducing Valve is for the house?

What kind of noise? What you did was to correct for eliminating water pipe hammer, a loud bang when the toilet filling stops.

What you seem to be describing would be a screech or winning noise.

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Originally Posted by ma0641

Hard to imagine all three toilets fail at the same time. Are you on city water? Do you know where your Pressure Reducing Valve is for the house?

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I am on city water. I do not know where the pressure reducing valve is. Thanks for checking.

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

What kind of noise? What you did was to correct for eliminating water pipe hammer, a loud bang when the toilet filling stops.

What you seem to be describing would be a screech or winning noise.

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Its loud bang.

Then you have water hammer. You may or may not have a PRV. You may or may not have air chambers. Turn off water to house. Open all faucets, cold water side. Wait as long as it is convenient. Close all faucets. Turn water to house back on.
An air chamber is just a piece of pipe inside the walls at each faucet that sticks straight up. It is a place that traps air to cushion the force of the water when you turn a faucet off quickly. However, water absorbs the air over time. When you drain the pipes you restore the air in the air chamber. It helps to wait because a vacuum can can hold the water in the air chamber for a period of time and it doesn't drain. The force of the water when you close a faucet quickly can cause the pipe to bang against the wall. Its annoying but doesn't hurt anything.
A PRV looks something like this. Should be close to the valve where you turn water to house on/off.

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

Then you have water hammer. You may or may not have a PRV. You may or may not have air chambers. Turn off water to house. Open all faucets, cold water side. Wait as long as it is convenient. Close all faucets. Turn water to house back on.
An air chamber is just a piece of pipe inside the walls at each faucet that sticks straight up. It is a place that traps air to cushion the force of the water when you turn a faucet off quickly. However, water absorbs the air over time. When you drain the pipes you restore the air in the air chamber. It helps to wait because a vacuum can can hold the water in the air chamber for a period of time and it doesn't drain. The force of the water when you close a faucet quickly can cause the pipe to bang against the wall. Its annoying but doesn't hurt anything.
A PRV looks something like this. Should be close to the valve where you turn water to house on/off.

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Thanks for the redponse. I already did that earlier few times and the problem spread from one bathroom to three. I am not sure if I did it right or waited enough. I am gong to try one more time. Do I need to run wwashing machine and dishwasher too?

No but it might help if you flushed the toilets after you turn the water off.

You may have to disconnect the supply lines from single handle faucets so that air can get in the pipes The way single lever faucets are made its hard for air to get in. Same thing for toilets.

Sometimes you have to remove the stem from the stop valves under toilets and faucets to let air in. If you have flexible supply lines you can just disconnect the supply line from the stop valve. If you have hard, chrome supply lines it would be better to remove the stem from the stop valve. If you pull the hard supply lines out you may have difficulty getting them to not leak when you put them back. Removing the stem of a stop valve is not difficult. You just unscrew the bonnet nut (the big nut around the stem) and pull the stem out. Doing that will insure that air can get into the pipe.

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

No but it might help if you flushed the toilets after you turn the water off.

You may have to disconnect the supply lines from single handle faucets so that air can get in the pipes The way single lever faucets are made its hard for air to get in. Same thing for toilets.

Sometimes you have to remove the stem from the stop valves under toilets and faucets to let air in. If you have flexible supply lines you can just disconnect the supply line from the stop valve. If you have hard, chrome supply lines it would be better to remove the stem from the stop valve. If you pull the hard supply lines out you may have difficulty getting them to not leak when you put them back. Removing the stem of a stop valve is not difficult. You just unscrew the bonnet nut (the big nut around the stem) and pull the stem out. Doing that will insure that air can get into the pipe.

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Thanks for your response. I tried to drain water for long time. Now the problem from 2 of the bathroom is gone but the issue with the bathroom (where I had the problem to begin with) still exists. I opened the tank top and the tank is close to being full (and that's when it starts to begin making noise) I pulled the lever just a little bit and the sound stops immediately. I am attaching a picture of how my tank looks like. Can you tell me if I should do anything now. And, please forgive my ignorance, I am not that familiar with all the valve etc. So, if you could explain a bit for layman like me that would be really great.

Again, thanks for all your help.Attachment 47574

Looks like a Mansfield with a ball cock that probably has a bad seal or debris in it. I'd replace the ballcock with a Fluidmaster 400A. Less than $10 and an easy DIY job.

It is beginning to sound like you have two problems. When you first described it it sounded like you had debris in the fill valve causing a noise. When I ask you said it was a loud bang. That sounded like water hammer as we have discussed. Perhaps you had both. Now it sounds like you have cleared the water hammer but still have debris or a bad seal in the ballcock.

I agree with Brian, I would just replace the ballcock with a Fluidmaster fill valve. This is relatively easy to do.
You would turn off the water at the valve under the tank. Flush and hold the handle down until all the water in the tank drains out. Dip and sponge all the remaining water in the tank. Disconnect the supply tube from the ballcock. Remove the nut under the tank that holds the ballcock in place. Lift the ballcock out.

Install the Fluidmaster as per the directions that comes with it. Google Installing a Fluidmaster fill valve for videos.

With the plastic nuts that are used today, things should easy to remove and install. Tools you would need would be a pair of adjustable pliers and a small adjustable wrench.

The Fluidmaster fill valve has the advantage that replacing the seal or clearing debris is quite easy.

See this video for replacing the seal in the ballcock you have. You may want try flushing out any debris you may have before replacing. Turn off the water under the toilet, open up the ballcock as shown, remove the seals. Then place a cup or glass over the open ballcock shank and turn on the water briefly to flush out any debris. Replace the seals, screw the ballcock float back and turn the water back on. You have nothing to loose but a few minutes time.

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

It is beginning to sound like you have two problems. When you first described it it sounded like you had debris in the fill valve causing a noise. When I ask you said it was a loud bang. That sounded like water hammer as we have discussed. Perhaps you had both. Now it sounds like you have cleared the water hammer but still have debris or a bad seal in the ballcock.

I agree with Brian, I would just replace the ballcock with a Fluidmaster fill valve. This is relatively easy to do.
You would turn off the water at the valve under the tank. Flush and hold the handle down until all the water in the tank drains out. Dip and sponge all the remaining water in the tank. Disconnect the supply tube from the ballcock. Remove the nut under the tank that holds the ballcock in place. Lift the ballcock out.


Install the Fluidmaster as per the directions that comes with it. Google Installing a Fluidmaster fill valve for videos.

With the plastic nuts that are used today, things should easy to remove and install. Tools you would need would be a pair of adjustable pliers and a small adjustable wrench.

The Fluidmaster fill valve has the advantage that replacing the seal or clearing debris is quite easy.

See this video for replacing the seal in the ballcock you have. You may want try flushing out any debris you may have before replacing. Turn off the water under the toilet, open up the ballcock as shown, remove the seals. Then place a cup or glass over the open ballcock shank and turn on the water briefly to flush out any debris. Replace the seals, screw the ballcock float back and turn the water back on. You have nothing to loose but a few minutes time.

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Thanks for your response. I will try to install a fluidmaster fill valve and let you know. Your last paragraph is to flush out debris from flusimaster valve which I do not need to worry now, right?

Thanks again.

Sorry the last paragraph was how to flush the your existing Mansfield fill valve. But I screwed up, I forgot to post the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhwd4uGa9Cc

Really pretty easy and simple. Just note that as plumber in video says, there is a notch to line up when reinstalling the ballcock float.

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

Sorry the last paragraph was how to flush the your existing Mansfield fill valve. But I screwed up, I forgot to post the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhwd4uGa9Cc

Really pretty easy and simple. Just note that as plumber in video says, there is a notch to line up when reinstalling the ballcock float.

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Thanks for the post. So you are suggesting to try to replace the seal first and if that does not work trying replacing with fluidmaster 400A. Did I get that right?

Thanks for all your help.

No, suggest you simply flush the ballcock. If it is debris in the ballcock you will have solved the problem. View the video. Turn water off under the tank. Just unscrew the ring that holds the float on, lift out the plunger and two rubber seals. Place cup over the ballcock shank, turn on the water briefly. Put seals and plunger back in and screw ring back on. Should take 5 minutes.

If that doesn't work then I would replace the ballcock with a Fluidmaster fill valve. Fluidmaster fill valve probably cost about the same thing as the repair kit for the Mansfield.

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

No, suggest you simply flush the ballcock. If it is debris in the ballcock you will have solved the problem. View the video. Turn water off under the tank. Just unscrew the ring that holds the float on, lift out the plunger and two rubber seals. Place cup over the ballcock shank, turn on the water briefly. Put seals and plunger back in and screw ring back on. Should take 5 minutes.

If that doesn't work then I would replace the ballcock with a Fluidmaster fill valve. Fluidmaster fill valve probably cost about the same thing as the repair kit for the Mansfield.

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Sorry I was tied up with something for the last few days. I just cleaned the seal as you suggested. I had to do it a few times since after I turned water back on, water started coming up from around the cap. Finally, I used finger nail/screw driver trying to push the seal around really good. At that point, water did not come up or leak. However, as the water got close to the fill line it started making some subtle whistle noise. If I put the tank top back on, the sound is probably not that prominent but it is there. Good news is the rattling noise is no more. Am I good or should I try to put the fuidmaster?

Again, thank for all your help.

Sounds like you have a defective seal rather than trash.
I would replace with the Fluidmaster at some convenient time.

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Originally Posted by hkstroud

Sounds like you have a defective seal rather than trash.
I would replace with the Fluidmaster at some convenient time.

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Ok, will do. Thanks.