Sources of Running Water Noise in/at Buildings

Causes & Cures for sounds of running water, drips, etc.
Plumbing noises in buildings may include "running water" or "gurgling"

List of Sources of Running Water Noises

A sound of running water as discussed here may also be described by some folks gurgling noises in pipes.

Quick Summary of Running Water Noise Sources

1. Running water in plumbing system drain piping system
   
   when plumbing fixtures are in use ( a sink is running or a toilet was flushed) and will be more noticeable if the building drain piping is not sound-isolated or insulated and where plastic rather than cast iron drains are installed.
   
   Running water in drains when no fixture is known to be running is likely to be traced to a running toilet or less often, to a roof drainage system routed through the building's interior or actually into its drain piping.
   
   
2. Running water in building water supply piping
   
   might be heard when fixtures are in use, again more-so when piping is not run through a sound-isolating system of mounts and / or insulation.
   
   
3. Running water or gurgling sounds traced to refrigerant piping
   
   may be in refrigerant or condensate piping of a split system air conditioner or heat pump while the equipment is running and/or briefly during unit start-up as well as for a period immediately after the unit shuts off.
   
   While usually we consider the sight or sound of bubbles in the refrigerant piping as an indication of low refrigerant, for some systems this may not be the case and for at least some split system models Fujitsu points out that this sound may be normal.[10]
   
   However if you hear bubbling in the refrigerant piping and the system is not cooling properly, indeed there may be an improper charge or refrigerant may be leaking.
   
   See REFRIGERANT LEAK REPAIR
   
   
4. Running or bubbling water sounds are heard in hot water heating system pipes, baseboards, radiators, & fan convectors if there is excess air in the heating system piping.
   
   See AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS 
   
   And check out BOILER LEAKS CORROSION STAINS for leaks in or at the boiler or see CIRCULATOR PUMP LEAKS
   
   Also for heating equipment that uses an oil burner,
   
   see OIL BURNER PIPING GURGLING
   
   
5. Running or gurgling at a building water tank
   
   may be normal during tank re-fill or there may be problem, as we discuss
   
   at WATER TANK BUBBLING / GURGLING NOISE DIAGNOSIS

Complete List of Running Water Sound Sources

Common sources of running water noises in a building when you think that no water is being used are listed below.

• Air conditioner or heat pump refrigerant:
  
  An air conditioning or heat pump system might make bubbling running noise in its refrigerant piping if the refrigerant charge is low - perhaps there's a refrigerant leak or an improper, too-low refrigerant charge in the system.
  
  See REFRIGERANT PIPING NOISE - running water or gurgling sounds, sounds in refrigerant piping - floodback or condensate
  
  And remember to look for running water noise traced to the disposal of air conditioning or heat pump condensate -
  
  see CONDENSATE PUMPS and CONDENSATE DRAIN CLEAN & DE-CLOG
  
  

• Check valve leaks:
  Leaky check valves at a private pump and well system can cause the water pump to cycle on and off intermittently.
  
  In turn, that might produce running water sounds in building water pipes near the pump or there could be noise transmission through building water pipes to other building areas.
  
  See FOOT VALVES, WELL PIPING - check valve in the well including FOOT VALVE LEAK TROUBLESHfING
  
  See INTERMITTENT CYCLING WATER PUMPS.
  
  
• Drain pipe clogs or leaks:
  
  A drain can be partly clogged, accumulating wastewater that slowly drains past the obstruction, making running water noises in a drain.
  
  See CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR.
  
  See GURGLING DRAINS
  
  Also see LEAK TYPES, WATER SUPPLY or DRAIN PIPES
  
  
• Hot water heating system:
  
  Leaks in heating zone pipes, radiators, etc. can, if there's air in the system, make a running water noise or slow leaks may make a dripping noise.
  
  See AIR-BOUND HEATING SYSTEMS 
  
  Also see OIL BURNER PIPING GURGLING
  
  
• Outdoor irrigation systems or watering systems or swimming pool
  
  All of these sorts of water movement systems that you might not notice during daytime may be more obvious at night
  
  
• Plumbing Fixture Leaks:
  
  A leaky faucet may drip into the fixture (sink or tub) that in turn causes noises in the building plumbing drain system.
  
  See
  • FAUCET LEAK, VALVE SEAT REPAIR
  • FAUCET LEAK, VALVE STEM REPAIR
  • LEAK TYPES, WATER SUPPLY or DRAIN PIPES
  • SINK LEAK DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR


• Plumbing vent pipes:
  
  A defective plumbing vent can cause slow gurgling at fixture drains when water is sent into the drain, but it would not itself directly be releasing water unless it's a wet-vent that is serving as both drain and vent OR if condensation froze in the upper portion of the vent (where the vent passes through the roof infreezing weather) when warm weather arrives and that ice melts you might hear a dripping noise in the vent or drain piping.
  
  See PLUMBING VENT NOISE
• Roof drains or water from rooftop equipment
  
  Clogs or leaks in a flat or low-slope roof drain system may cause running water or dripping water noises in buildings at which the roof drains run down through the building interior or perhaps through a vertical drain whose noises are transmitted inside such as where a drain passes near a window or door.
  
  See FLAT ROOF DRAINAGE SYSTEMS 
  
  Water draining from rooftop equipment such as an air conditioner or heat pump whose condensate may be piped through or near the building may produce running water noises heard in building drains.
• Toilet running:
  
  Atoilet may have a fill valve that is not shutting off completely; when this happens the toilet tank or cistern may fill until it begins to drain into the tank overflow, down into the toilet bowl. YOu may hear water running into the toilet or elsewhere in the building you may hear water running into a drain.
  
  If the problem is only the toilet fill valve, noise of water entering the toilet tank or cistern may be continuous while the drain noise may be either continuous or intermittent.
  
  If the problem is a leak at the toilet flush valve, the drain noise may be continuous while the noise of water entering the toilet flush tank will be intermittent as the toilet flush valve float periodically drops low enough to open the tank fill valve.
  
  - see TOILET RUNS CONTINUOUSLY
• Water supply line leak:
  
  A water leak can be hidden - in a wall or crawl area, even under a slab or outside the building at a water main or a buried line to a hose bibb.
  
  Leaks in either municipal water supply lines or private pump, tank and well systems can cause running water noise heard in or near a building.
  
  For municipal water supply line leak diagnosis see MUNICIPAL WATER PRESSURE DIAGNOSIS 
  
  For private water pump, tank and well system leak diagnosis see WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS
  
  and WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING - PIPE LEAK
  
  Also see LEAK TYPES, WATER SUPPLY or DRAIN PIPES
  
• Water tank running water noises
  
  see WATER TANK BUBBLING / GURGLING NOISE DIAGNOSIS

• Water treatment equipment:
  
  A water softener or other water treatment equipment that's running through a regeneration cycle - usually timed to operate late at night when other water use has stopped.
• Well piping leaks
  
  A leak in well piping isn't usually heard as running water in the building but might if it causes an above-ground in-building well pump to cycle intermittently
  
  See WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS
  

Diagnostic steps help isolate the source of running water noise

If you are hearing running water in a building and it's cause is somewhere in the plumbing system, that is, not if it's not a similar noise from a hot water or steam heating system nor from an air conditioner or heat pump system and pipes, then the source is a water supply system leak.

A plumbing leak in the building water supply pipes or controls can cause water to run either constantly or intermittently. The leak may:

• occur only when a fixture is in use, when a valve such as a faucet is open - drips at the faucet control may be visible into the fixture or hidden in a wall, ceiling or floor cavityu.
• occur constantly, if the leak is in supply pipes or connections anywhere in the system

Try turning off water supply to individual plumbed areas or fixtures - even turning off things that you are dead sure are not involved, just be sure you're not missing something.

Or you can turn everything off at once and listen for a cessation in noise (include allowing for a backed drain to empty) but a slower alternative that's more convenient is to turn off by area or fixture.

Also look around for wet areas and leak stains such as in basement ceilings and in crawl areas.

See PLUMBING LEAK DETECTION METHODS

Also see DRIPPING WATER SOUND SOURCES and

see SOUNDS of RUNNING / DRIPPING WATER in DRAINS