How to fix a ’singing’ shower
It usually starts with remodeling a bathroom and installing a new shower stall. It works great except for a humming sound that will not stop unless the shower is turned off. It’s amazing how so many people can have the same problem and most of the time it’s a simple solution that most homeowners and many plumbers overlook.
The culprit most likely in this case may be high water pressure in your home. In most areas of the country any plumbing system with water pressure over 80 pounds per square inch or psi for short, is considered too high for residential use. An easy test that you can do yourself to determine your water pressure is to go down to your local home center or supply house and buy a water pressure test gauge.
These gauges simply screw on to your outside faucet (Silcock.) spout, and when you open the valve the pressure is displayed on the gauge. Normal ranges are usually between 35 psi to 75 psi. Any water pressure over 80 psi is too high for most homes and a plumber should be called to install a “pressure reducer valve” to correct the problem. Sometimes an old shower may use more than 2.5 gallons per minute and your new shower system meets the current code of 2.5 gallons per minute or less. That reduction in flow combined with possible high water pressure can produce a humming sound in your plumbing system.
