When you say ballcock valve I have to assume its the small shutoff valve
right before the tank? I closed it about 3/4 of a
turn today and behold! No vibration. When it starts happening again I'll
change it out. Thanks to those who chimed in - I
never would have guessed a worn out ball valve could make the pipes sing
like this!

bmoney

"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
...
Hamilton Audio wrote:
I've got a 20 year old bi-level - and have an interesting phenomenon.
Just lately I've noticed that when I flush the downstairs toilet,
just after the tank refills I get a low-frequency droning/vibration
that seems to be coming from the main water lead from the water meter
in the basement.
It drones/vibrates (almost seems like "bass" from a kids car outside)
for between 5 and 10 seconds and then goes away. I've noticed that
when its vibrating, if I run the basement sink, it stops instantly. No
other faucets/toilets cause the pipe to do this.

Any thoughts? I've read this is water hammer, but its not a banging
or clanking, but rather a fast vibration. Whats the cause and any
cure? I don't care about the noise as much as I am worried that the
vibration is going to cause a broken solder joint somewhere which
leads to flooding....
??

bmoney

It could be water hammer, but I would tend towards a worn ball cock
valve.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia's Muire duit