A general plumbers question. Pulsating pipes?

[fullmetaljacket]

I have a concern.
In one bathroom shower stall out of four in our home, the pipes can be heard pulsating whenever the shower is being used. The shower is on the third floor. Is there some kind of a pressure built up or a vacuum of some kind in the pipes? The water seems to have normal exit out of the shower head so it doesn't seem to be a clogged shower head. What goes?
Non of the other showers have this issue.
Thank you in advance.

 

[Richard Cranium]

My wife hates when my pipe pulsates.

 

[YY1]

Water hammer.

Wow, second time in less than a week for that answer.

 

[j-c-c-62]

That would be the go to answer, but not sure how that explains the pulsating.

 

[Moms68]

Well or city water? Have you checked your water pressure?

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Well or city water? Have you checked your water pressure?

You guys are crazy. LOL.
City water.
No I have not checked water pressure. Only one shower stall does this, not the others.

 

[ESOXER]

Might be the cartridge in the shower valve or a loose pipe in the mount.

 

[YY1]

"Pulsating" is "hammering".

That's the plumber's term.

 

[PlymCrazy]

Since it's isolated to just one shower, I'd be looking at that particular shower valve.
If you can access the shower valve while it's "pulsating", get your eyes and ears on it while it's doing it to confirm.
Could be as simple as needing a cartridge replacement as @ESOXER mentioned.

 

[j-c-c-62]

"Pulsating" is "hammering".

That's the plumber's term.

This is now a semantics discussion?
A plumbing "hammering" discussion centers IMO on a single hydraulic event caused by the altering or stopping of the inertia of a moving fluid, which can cause, reflected shock waves thru the closed piping system that dimmish over a limited time ie hammering much like an echo.. "Pulsating" again IMO is repeating and does not decay over time and is likely induced by reoccurring single events in succession, like a water drip.
I see a distinction between the two terms.

 

[YY1]

Perhaps.

 

[Don Frelier]

If it's an automatic temperature control mixing valve it could be the hot water heater is set too high.
The mixing valve is attempting to mix but it can't regulate smoothly as the hot water creates too much natural gain in the system.
So it oscillates betwen adding hot and turning down the hot.
Difficult to explain in writing it's a control system theory thing.

 

[5.7 hemi]

The pipes need to clamped more than they are.

 

[j-c-c-62]

If it's an automatic temperature control mixing valve it could be the hot water heater is set too high.
The mixing valve is attempting to mix but it can't regulate smoothly as the hot water creates too much natural gain in the system.
So it oscillates betwen adding hot and turning down the hot.
Difficult to explain in writing it's a control system theory thing.

Interesting.

 

[Photon440]

You can install a valve that stops the pulsing.
www.amazon.ca/EFIELD-MH-231-2-FM-Arrestor-Dishwasher-Connection/dp/B09131QMV9/ref=sr_1_11?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3Seg5TYFxNjzqrLdTGwLkZWWW_WJ1fBtCyeUUIQDfXJFrSlHN5_6VhiVB3O1fQkgdXoK4WxYJbnkQy-eR94umNf4v78Ia67IcNpVmf5NpKvO02qWyKElavqpqObCCCTfsFzzBAdnoSnIc4E1UdKy-kG4s-kEYgkmg92r3jSIwG0zydpm5hScQUMQ5L2Ll9Zn_F3VKWoFYLPP2EA6NHbpxqZX8k_ExBt0ube4V18wIzYQbIGaNR9FHO4dSaVAs2l0ewWNtGx3DB8hYsGhsa3QqVSIINVg9etCTtbS4EljjW0.5yeo9HKayUAOZrelouB3f6_bqu6ASZtz6ePj6vW9KjM&dib_tag=se&keywords=water+hammer&qid=1708618305&s=hi&sr=1-11

 

[QuickBpBp]

My wife hates when my pipe pulsates.

Probably hates it more when it leaks....

 

[QuickBpBp]

I have a concern.
In one bathroom shower stall out of four in our home, the pipes can be heard pulsating whenever the shower is being used. The shower is on the third floor. Is there some kind of a pressure built up or a vacuum of some kind in the pipes? The water seems to have normal exit out of the shower head so it doesn't seem to be a clogged shower head. What goes?
Non of the other showers have this issue.
Thank you in advance.

Since you mentioned 3rd floor. Does it do it just initially or the whole time it's being used? If just initially I have found you may have a leak at a LOWER point in the plumbing then when it's turned on the hammering is the air banging up through the pipes. I had that for a day in our upstairs shower when I had a pipe that was leaking below the 2nd floor. It went away after fixing the leak...

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Since you mentioned 3rd floor. Does it do it just initially or the whole time it's being used? If just initially I have found you may have a leak at a LOWER point in the plumbing then when it's turned on the hammering is the air banging up through the pipes. I had that for a day in our upstairs shower when I had a pipe that was leaking below the 2nd floor. It went away after fixing the leak...

Thank you all. I'm going to check all these points and theories. First with the valve. Thank you.

 

[BB BELLA]

if you have an adjustable shower head change it to max flow, if not remove it completely and run water wide open hot and cold!
does the hammer change when you adjust temperature, it may shower pressure balance , some systems have one at water heater outlet pipe!

 

[fullmetaljacket]

if you have an adjustable shower head change it to max flow, if not remove it completely and run water wide open hot and cold!
does the hammer change when you adjust temperature, it may shower pressure balance , some systems have one at water heater outlet pipe!

Good point. I'll be checking. Thank you.