Toilet Making Noise

Wooooosh!

This sound is so well known to people of all ages, that whenever we hear something else after flushing, it causes distress. 

And frankly, it should. 

A noisy toilet flush can be annoying, but also an indicator of a serious problem which shouldn’t be ignored. Fortunately, toilets can be repaired with basic plumbing tools in a short time. It all comes down to the type of sound. 

So if you,

• Have a noisy toilet after each flush in the morning;
• Hear a moaning noise below the floor;
• Hear a noise even when the toilet is not in use.

Then, check out the most common toilet noises and how to possibly fix them. 

Toilet making foghorn noise

Foghorn sounds are typical for older toilets with a metal ballcock-style fill valve. There is probably a loose washer in the ballcock assembly. You can replace the washer or change the whole ballcock, which would be better in the long run.

Here is an easy way to check if you need to replace the washer. Open the toilet tank and flush. As the valve starts making the foghorn sound, grab the float ball and lift it to the top of the tank. If the noise stops when you do that, then there’s a washer in the ballcock mechanism which is faulty.

1. Turn off the water supply
2. Flush the tank
3. Remove the three screws from the fill valve
4. Remove the float ball and upper part of the fill valve from the tank. You should see the washer in the lower part of the faucet
5. Replace the washer
6. Redo the rest of the steps in reversed order

Toilet making hissing noise

If your toilet makes an air noise such as hissing sound after flushing, then the fill valve is malfunctioning. Your toilet tank has two valves inside. One, which allows the water to go to the bowl, and another which refills the tank after flushing. When the refill mechanism is blocked, it creates water pressure in the refill tube, which is higher than normal. That, in turn, creates vibrations which sound like hissing.

1. Turn off the water supply to your tank.
2. Remove the lit to the tank. Inside you will see the fill valve.
3. Remove the fill valve cover.
4. Turn the float arm counterclockwise. This will release the valve.
5. Remove any debris from the valve and the seal.
6. Turn on the water supply. This will push out any remaining debris.
7. Reconnect the float arm to the fill valve and put the cover back on.
8. Turn on the water supply back on.
9. Flush the toilet and wait until the fill valve turns on.
10. When it shuts off, there shouldn’t be any hissing.

Toilet making bangings noise

A water hammer in the pipes results in banging noises after flushing the toilet. Water hammers happen when the water inside your pipes comes at a dead stop, and then it hits the pipes at high speed. If this problem is ignored for a long period of time, the pipes might get damaged.

All of your pipes likely have air-filled chambers on every corner which act as shock absorbers. However, these chambers sometimes get filled with water, and that stops them from absorbing shocks. To fix this problem, you need to drain all your pipes of water.

1. Turn off the main water supply to your home.
2. Flush your toilet and leave every faucet on.
3. Turn the water back on, after your pipes are completely empty of water
4. Flush the toilet and listen for the banging noise.

If the noise still persists, you will need to install a slow shut off valve.

Toilet making gurgling / bubbling noise

If you hear your toilet give out gurgling sounds, there’s probably a blocked line somewhere. The blockage is either in the drain system or your home’s vent stack (the pipe leading all sewer gases to escape through the roof). As a result of the clog, air can’t flow through the lines, so it pushes back, creating the so-called negative pressure. Another symptom of this problem is when the water in the toilet bubbles.

Plunging should fix the problem if it is indeed in your drain pipe:

1. Seal all drain and sinks with ducktape. This is done so the pressure would not escape. You need that pressure when plunging.
2. Place the plunger into the bowl and pump 10 to 15 times.
3. Listen for gurgling sounds. If they’re gone, you’re done. If not, get a drain snake and unblock your toilet that way.

Toilet making noise when not in use

Most of the time the noise comes after flushing, however, it’s not uncommon to hear it when the toilet is not used. There are three main reasons for this:

Call professionals

If you still can’t find the source of the noise and are fed up with kneeling down around your toilet, then call some help. The London plumbers Fantastic Services works with are experienced and fully equipped. They will discover why your toilet sounds weird and return it back to normal.

Takeaways

• Listen carefully for the type of sound.
• Always have your water turned off while working on your toilet.
• When your toilet is gurgling, the problem might be further down the drain, even outside your home.

Images Source: Shutterstock / New Africa, fizkes

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Is your toilet blocked? Did you manage to fix the problem yet? Let us know by leaving a comment below!