In addition to a "whooshing" sound when water is running through our pipes, I've noticed recently that after we turn off a faucet the sound of running water continues for about 5 seconds. What would cause this? I recently replaced the main shutoff valve since it was leaking. I don't think there is air in the system. All of the faucets and showers have been used extensively since then. Could the whooshing water sound and the delayed shutoff be related? They both started after I replaced the main shutoff.
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Could that sound be coming up from the drain?– Nate S.Dec 3, 2019 at 17:45
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No - coming from the water supply.– HoneyDoDec 3, 2019 at 17:55
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1Does this always happen? Or will it eventually go away if the water is run long enough before being turned off? "the sound of running water continues" -- it would help if you could be more specific. Normally, when a faucet is opened, the only "sound of running water" that occurs is the water coming from the faucet. While water is moving through the pipes, you wouldn't normally hear that. Are you saying that you hear the exact same sound as the water coming from the faucet? Or is it some other kind of sound? "I don't think there is air" -- why not? please be more specific.– Peter DunihoDec 3, 2019 at 18:39
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Yes - it always happens. It doesn't matter how long the water from the faucet runs. After it's turned off you can hear water continue to run (whoosh) through the water supply lines (copper) in the house. After about 5 seconds it stops. It's as if the water in the house lines lags and is trying to replenish some of the water used. It's strange. I never heard it before I replaced the main shutoff. At the same time when any– HoneyDoDec 3, 2019 at 20:30
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At the same time, since I replaced the shutoff, water running anywhere in the house results in what I can only call loud whooshing as the water runs through the house copper supply lines.– HoneyDoDec 3, 2019 at 20:44
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2 Answers
I've heard this before, in a single story house where the water main entered the building near the bathroom, but because there was a hallway with a solid floor between there and the kitchen, the hot and cold pipes ran up through the attic, then back down to the sink and dishwasher. All was fine for years until some work was done in the bathroom, moving a sink, then the exact same issues started that you describe. What happened was that there was air in the inverted U in the pipes, and even with the kitchen sink on full blast, there wasn't enough flow to push the air through the pipes, so each time the water ran, it would push the air over to the downward leg, then the water would fall through the air and feed the faucet, and once the faucet was shut off, the water would continue to fall through the air until the air was back at the top of the U.
I fixed this temporarily by removing the hose to the dishwasher, the flow was then high enough to force most of the air out, but a more permanent fix was to reposition the pipes so that the air gravitated back to a bleed point I installed.
I'd suggest you look at the pipe routes to see if there is anywhere that the air introduced while replacing the shutoff can be accumulating that it can't easily get out from.
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Thanks, Phil. This makes the most sense to me. I thought I got all of the air out but I may still have some trapped in the system. It'll take some doing but this feels right.– HoneyDoDec 4, 2019 at 4:26
I had a similar problem and it ended up being a toilet valve that was wearing out. Have someone run the water and you stand by each toilet when they turn the water off and see if you can hear the toilet running for a few seconds. In my case the valve was worn and the impact when the water was turned off was enough to unset the seal for the toilet valve. It would run for a few seconds and then reset. I replaced the valve and the problem went away.Good luck.
