If you flush your toilet and hear vibrating sounds for about 30 seconds after you’ve flushed, you may compare the noise to something like a hum. Does the sound also seem to reverberate through your plumbing? If so, you may be hearing the noise in the pipes in your walls and/or in the floor. More than likely, when you hear vibrating sounds after flushing, the cause if usually your toilet valve.
Though, while you now know the probable cause, you’re probably still wondering if you need to call in a local plumber just yet. The good news is that you may not have to. All you may need to do is replace the toilet valve. However, if you replace it, and it seems like you still have not fixed the problem, then it may be time to call in an expert for help.
The Purpose of the Toilet Valve
The purpose of a toilet’s fill valve is exactly what it sounds like: it refills the toilet with water once you’ve flushed it. Basically, the fill valve fills up from the bottom. As the water in the toilet tank fills up, it lifts the float on the valve until the float raises enough to stop the flow of water into the tank. It does this by putting pressure on a small diaphragm within the fill valve, forming a seal.
This is what happens when a toilet is working properly. However, over time the diaphragm can harden. When it loses its elasticity, this reduces its effectiveness at forming the seal. So, the vibrations you end up hearing is actually the incoming water causing the hardened diaphragm to bounce around inside the fill valve.
The best way to confirm that the fill valve is indeed the problem is to remove the tank lid and gently lift the arm of the fill valve. If the noise stops, then you’ve found your culprit!
The “Water Hammer” Effect
There’s no mistaking when you’ve experienced the “water hammer” effect. This is when you hear loud thuds or vibrations in your walls after flushing the toilet, or while running the laundry. The “hammering” happens when the water “hammers” into a valve that is closed when it should be open. The water has nowhere else to go, and so it hammers into the valve.
One of the main causes of the water hammer effect is worn-out or damaged washers. If you’re experiencing the water hammer effect, you shouldn’t ignore it. Over time, pipes can suffer serious damage from being “hammered” all the time. You can fix this issue with a water hammer arrestor, which is a pipe-like installation that you can either try to install yourself or have a plumber install for you.
Fixing the Problem
If you’d like to attempt to fix this problem yourself before calling a plumber, you should be able to find instructions within the part you’re trying to replace. And, of course, you can always look online for more information, including step-by-step videos.
You can try to replace the diaphragm within the fill valve, but fill valves are cheap enough that if you’re going to go that route, you might as well save yourself the time and energy and just replace the entire fill valve outright. Something else you might want to consider replacing is the flapper, particularly if you’ve noticed the toilet vibrating randomly without anyone flushing it first.
A worn-out flapper will allow water to leak into the bowl of the toilet, causing a slow leak within the tank. When the tank refills, it creates the vibrating noise you hear. Flappers tend to wear out even quicker when regularly exposed to chemicals used to clean the toilet.
Now, this may sound like a simple enough fix, but it may still be something you need a plumber to take care of. If so, our team at Plumbing by Jake is fully equipped and ready to help!
Having Trouble with Your Pipes? Plumbing by Jake Can Help!
If you’ve tried to fix your vibrating toilet issues on your own and are having no luck, then it’s time to call in a licensed professional. At Plumbing by Jake, we have a team of emergency plumbers who make themselves available 24/7 to help you with any plumbing emergency, day or night.
Just call 928-377-5910, and one of our knowledgeable plumbers will be on his way to help in no time. You can also use the contact form on our website if you require assistance for an issue that is not an emergency.
At Plumbing by Jake, we proudly provide our customers with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee on every repair and installation we perform. We know you’re busy, and that the last thing you want to do is hold up your entire day waiting for the plumber. We’re there when we say we’ll be there, and we try to finish the job as cleanly and as efficiently as possible.
We serve several locations in the Arizona area, including Bullhead City and Golden Valley, as well as Kingman, Lake Havasu, and Mohave County. So, if you’re in the area, and you are experiencing a plumbing emergency, don’t wait – call now!