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r2traps · Aug 29, 2006, 11:39 AM

Hi everyone,

I've been having trouble with my pipes vibrating when using the stand up shower in my condo aprtment unit. To give some background info, my washroom has both a bathtub (with a faucet and two taps, hot and cold) and a separate stand up shower (with a showerhead and two taps, hot and cold). I have a hot water tank (rented from the hydro company) in my condo unit.

Sometimes when people turn on the water taps in the stand up shower, the pipes start vibrating and I can hear it throughout my entire condo. Almost feels like they will explode until I turn the taps off. I did some quick Google research and read that I may have "seat chatter" (debris stuck in the pipes causing the vibrating whenever the water rushes past it). I removed the taps and the valves and let the water run through to see if there was anything wrong with the valves or if there was any debris in the line but didn't find anything. The vibrating problem still exists and I'm hoping to find some help here.

For some reason, I personally have never encountered the vibrations while taking a shower, but others in my household have experienced it numerous times in the last year. Maybe it's the way I'm turning on the water? I usually turn on the hot water first, making sure there's a strong flow, and then I add cold water gradually until the water meets my perferred temperature. Could it be the way people in my home are adjusting the water? If so, it seems odd that I never experienced this.

Could the problem be in the condo building system?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

speedball1 · Aug 29, 2006, 02:46 PM

Did you check to see if the screws securing the washers were tight when you had it apart? Nothing vibrates without being loose. We track it back by sound and felling where the vibration's the strongest. Smells,noise and vibration are problems that you almost have to be there to locate. You have checked the supplies. That's where we start. From there it's listen and feel. Good luck, Tom

r2traps · Aug 29, 2006, 06:05 PM

Thanks for posting speedball. I did in fact check the screws and they were secure. I didn't see any other problems with the valves. The valves are only about 6 months to a year old.

Thanks for your suggestions. Of course when I went to listen to the vibration tonight, nothing happened and it only happens when someone else uses the shower. If I remember correctly, the vibration is the strongest in the shower stall, but also sounds like it's vibrating in the ceiling of my condo. Could there be in the pipes behind the shower walls? I certainly hope not, because I have no idea how I would get to it without breaking down the wall. I did not smell anything though.

speedball1 · Aug 30, 2006, 11:18 AM

Chances wre that you'll find the problem in the shower valve when you finally track it down. The sound you hear in your ceiling could be "sympathetic vibration". This is when the pipes pick up the noise and carry it throughout the piping in the house. Have you tried adjusting the pressure to the shower valve using the stops on the supplies? Cheers, Tom

r2traps · Aug 30, 2006, 12:10 PM

Tom, exactly how do I adjust the pressure using the stops on the supplies? I'm not too familiar with valves and I'm having a hard time visualizing what you're recommending.

speedball1 · Aug 30, 2006, 12:39 PM

"how do I adjust the pressure using the stops on the supplies?"
Most shower valves have integral stops,(screwdriver stops) located behind the face plate where the supplies connect to the valve. They may be reached by removing the handle and face plate. Try to start the vibration and then turn both screwdriver stops counterclockwise a quarter turn at a time until the noise stops. Good luck, Tom

r2traps · Aug 31, 2006, 07:09 PM

Hi again,

Tried doing what you said, but I wanted to make sure I'm turning the "screwdriver stops". Below is a picture of my valve. Can you please let me know which one I should be trying to turn? Is it where the blue arrow is pointing or the red arrow? I'm assuming it's the blue arrow, since the red one points to what turns the water on or off and the piece where I screw in the knob into.

Or am I totally missing the boat and do I keep the knob on as in the pic below?

speedball1 · Sep 1, 2006, 04:59 AM

What's the brand name of your shower valve? Screwdriver stops are located in the wall at the point the hot and cold supplies connect onto the valve body. If they aren't there we leave a access panel with shut off valves on the other side of the tile wall. I really need to know what brand of valve you have. Tom