BITOG plumbing types- Please help

[bk111]

Recently in our condo. whenever any faucet is turned on with hot water, there is a terribly annoying whistling noise coming from the copper pipes after the water heater, I am pretty sure it is either the mixing valve or the ball valve which brings the cold water to the mixing valve. Any other possibilities?

Never worked with copper pipes before, they kind of look soldered in?? Are they straight forward to replace? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Video of the noise. (lower your pc volume before hitting play)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZca84FQWCI

 

[Lead Shoes]

HOLY COW, left my volume all the way up, that's intense.....

Not a clue as to what that could be.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

That could be cause by air, build up or too much pressure. The first thing I'd do is try to isolate the precise location in the pipe that causes the whistling-either the top ball valve or just below it. A mechanics stethoscope may help narrow it down. If it's the valve, turn it off and on several times to knock loose any build up, and if it's the mixing valve open and close it several times. You can (gently) tap on the pipes in the location of the whistle to see if you can knock loose the build up that's causing it.

Next, in the event that there's air in the system, open a couple of the top faucets and let them run for a few minutes, and tap on the pipes in the vicinity of the whistle. That may help release trapped air.

You an also play with the adjustments-turn the valves up or down slightly to see if it persists when they are set differently. If all else fails, if you have the proper tools sweating copper isn't hard. If you don't have the tools or aren't sure about your abilities, then it's time to call a trusted professional.

 

[Gotch]

Sounds like the mixing valve. Try turning the adjustment all the way clockwise and then counter-clockwise (make note of where you started from!). If you have no experience with copper soldering, leave it to a pro. Copper sweating is not hard, provided you know what you are doing. Practice first on scraps if you insist on trying this yourself. Practice make perfect. Biggest mistake most newcomers have is not getting the water out of the pipes prior to sweating.

 

[flanso]

When I solder dripping water pipes, I stuff a tight wad of white bread into the pipe that is dripping. It stops the water long enough for me to sweat the fitting. Then I open the faucet closest to the new fitting and out flows the partially dissolved bread.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: flanso
When I solder dripping water pipes, I stuff a tight wad of white bread into the pipe that is dripping. It stops the water long enough for me to sweat the fitting. Then I open the faucet closest to the new fitting and out flows the partially dissolved bread.


My dad taught me that trick, and I still use it on the rare occasion I need to do some plumbing work.

 

[Stelth]

Wish I could get a better view of the whole system. Nonetheless, I agree with the others' advice on pinpointing the sound, and I'd start with the tempering (mixing) valve. It's unusual for copper to collect much in the way of hard water deposits, but hot water recirculating systems can really lay some down, particularly where you have a lot of turbulence. There's a whole lot going on right around that pump, and if the copper wasn't reamed when it was all put together, you can run into major turbulence.

Also, it looks like the tempering valve has unions on all of its connections, so removing it for inspection or replacement may not be that hard. If you do take the valve out, make sure you have new gaskets for the unions, as they may tear on disassembly.

 

[bepperb]

I would disassemble and repack the mixing valve before you solder anything. Provided the pipes are dry and you're relatively handy soldering copper is pretty easy. I have heard this on faucets but not on a ball valve. I'm not a plumber but that's my experience. That mixing valve you should be able to take apart and take to a good hardware store and get new rubber washers for.

Or replace the whole valve. Disregard my above advice on soldering is easy, those ball valves are soldered in and would be a pain to replace without a mapp torch, and really a pain even with.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: flanso
When I solder dripping water pipes, I stuff a tight wad of white bread into the pipe that is dripping. It stops the water long enough for me to sweat the fitting. Then I open the faucet closest to the new fitting and out flows the partially dissolved bread.
+1 although Hagar's Dustbin sells plugs to insert in the pipe made out of a material which will dissolve after you are through soldering. They look like little footballs. Ya have to get everything shiny clean FLUX it. Something called "MAPP" gas gives a hotter flame than the standard propane tank. Try to evenly heat the joint area and don't play the flame right on the joint itself. Touch the solder to the joint as it heats and when the joint is hot enough the solder will wick right in. Touch the solder to the joint in two or three places around the pipe at least. The old guys would then take a damp cloth and wipe the excess solder off, making a nice looking joint.

 

[Gotch]

It is not the ball valve...

Ah bread, yes, we just finished doing a 3" copper pipe and stuffed a whole loaf in there! 800ft. of pipe and no place to drain! Cyro works better but much more $$$

If you end up having to replace the mixing valve, you may have a water hammer issue that took it out. If you have the pipes apart anyways, throw a water hammer arrestor on the outlet side of the mixer.