It’s important to be able to feel as if you can relax while taking a bath. Many people look forward to being able to get in their bathtubs at the end of long workdays.
It can be a bit annoying when your bathtub faucet is making loud noises, though. Why would your bathtub make loud noises such as this?
Keep reading to get information about bathtub faucets and why they might be noisier than usual. This should help you to troubleshoot and figure out how to move forward.
You should be able to fix the problem once you determine what’s going on. Hopefully, you’ll be able to enjoy a peaceful bath without having to worry if there’s something wrong with your faucet soon enough.
1 – Your Tub Spout Diverter Could Be Worn Down
Often, people discover that the source of the bathtub faucet noises is a worn-down tub spout diverter. This is a part that is going to wear down over time due to regular use.
When the tub spout diverter wears down, it can make it so that a valve inside will come loose. This loose valve is going to vibrate and that is causing the noise that you’re hearing.
Thankfully, fixing the issue is as simple as getting a new spout diverter. Just replace the old one with a new part and everything should be good again.
2 – Mineral Deposit Issues
It’s also possible that mineral deposits could be causing the noises. Mineral deposits can become a problem as they continue to build.
Eventually, mineral deposits can become so significant that they will restrict water flow. When this occurs, it can cause the bathtub faucet to start making noises.
The minerals that will generally cause this to happen are potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These are all coming from your water source and causing this to happen.
Of course, not everyone is going to have to deal with problems such as this. Some people have water that needs to be run through special filters to prevent things such as this from happening.
You can disassemble and inspect the various valves in your system. Cleaning everything with vinegar should help you to get things working fine again.
3 – There Could Be Air in the Pipes
When air gets into the pipes, this can sometimes cause the faucet to make unusual noises. This isn’t necessarily something that you need to worry about, but it can still be a nuisance.
Often, this is going to be related to mineral buildup issues. When minerals get stuck in the system, they’ll cause air bubbles to get in the line.
You can remedy this by taking the time to fully drain the line. It’s also possible to flush your water heater in an effort to reduce mineral buildup issues.
4 – Decaying Valves
You should consider whether your valves need to be replaced or not. There are situations where the valves in your system will start decaying.
As the years pass, the valves are going to continue to break down. If you haven’t changed them in a long time, then they could be decaying and causing your system to have issues.
Sometimes the noises that you’ll hear coming from the bathtub faucet will be related to debris from the decaying valves. Chunks of the valves could have gotten loose and started vibrating inside of the faucet.
Fixing this is mostly about replacing the decaying valves. You’ll also need to flush out the debris to keep the faucet from continuing to make noise.
5 – Pipe Vibration
Pipe vibration is something that you should consider when you’re hearing noises coming from the faucet. You might discover that the noises are happening due to the pipes vibrating back and forth.
Even if it sounds as though the noise is coming from the bathtub faucet, it’s still possible that it’s coming from the pipes. If the pipes are vibrating, then that vibration could be reverberating down to the bathtub faucet.
This isn’t unusual and it tends to happen when hot water runs through pipes. The pipes might wind up rubbing against things in the wall such as studs or even other supporting structures.
You might have it so that the pipes are too close to the studs. When this is the case, it’ll make it so that the sound will resonate through your walls and create noises.
Loosely attached pipes have also been known to move and vibrate. It might wind up being necessary to look in the wall at the piping to see what’s going on.
To fix the problem, you can try to change things a bit. You might need to change the way that the pipes are positioned slightly or strap them in better.
Another potential solution involves insulating using spray foam. If you’re not comfortable working with pipes, then you may wish to contact a professional for assistance.
6 – Pressure Issues
Too much pressure can cause your bathtub faucet to make noise. A sudden change in water pressure can make something occur that is known as water hammering.
Water can move through a pipe fast and then encounter issues such as a valve that is partially closed. There could be some sputtering or even just odd noises as the water is coming out of the faucet.
Fixing an issue like this involves ensuring that all of the valves are fully open. It also could be necessary to adjust the water pressure if it is far too high.
You should be able to reduce the water pressure at the house main. Conversely, you could add some pressure control valves to your setup so that you’ll have finer control over the water pressure.
Noises Are Almost Always Caused By Restricted Water Flow or Vibration
The noises that come from bathtub faucets are almost always caused by restricted water flow or vibration. Sometimes it can be tough to know exactly what is going on until you take a look inside the faucet.
You might also need to look at the pipes as mentioned above. Troubleshooting what is wrong with your faucet should involve looking for each individual problem listed above and then ruling things out.
Once you’re done, you’ll be left with a list of possible things that could be wrong. Getting to the bottom of the situation should involve turning the water on and observing what’s happening.
It’s possible to fix issues such as this on your own if you have the right tools. Not everyone is going to be comfortable doing so, though.
If you’re only dealing with issues such as debris or mineral buildup, then you can very likely solve these problems on your own. Sometimes all that you need to do is flush the system or remove debris that is present in the faucet somewhere.
More complex issues might feel a bit daunting. Just decide what you want to do based on your level of expertise and the amount of time that you have to try to deal with the problem on your own.
Sometimes Calling a Plumber Is Worthwhile
If you want to solve your noisy bathtub faucet issue, then the fastest way to do so will be to call a plumber. Plumbers handle small jobs such as this all the time, and they’ll be able to figure out what’s going on pretty quickly.
Expert plumbers have the necessary tools to fix your bathtub faucet no matter what’s going on. They might find that it’s a simple issue or it could be a more complex problem.
Either way, you’ll be able to count on getting things fixed in a timely fashion. When you don’t want to have to bother with things yourself, it’s nice to know that plumbers will be there for you.
The problem with this is that the repair costs might be a bit on the expensive side. Plumbers will have to charge you to do the job, so it’d likely save you money to try to do things on your own.
If you want to ensure that everything is done right, then having a plumber come out is wise. Those who have some experience handling minor plumbing issues might feel perfectly fine fixing a noisy bathtub faucet, though.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know about what is likely causing your bathtub faucet to be so noisy, it’ll be easier to figure out what to do. You’ll be able to determine what is wrong by going down the list and ruling things out one by one.
All of the causes of bathtub faucet issues such as this have to do with vibration issues and water flow restriction. Whether you’re dealing with mineral deposit buildup or loose pipes, it’s going to be possible to fix the issues.
Simply do your best to fix things on your own if you’re comfortable enough about working with pipes. Otherwise, you can always call a plumber to assist you and handle the problem.
Being able to take a bath without having to worry about noises will feel nice. You’ll be able to enjoy a bit of serenity after a long day at work, and you won’t have to be concerned about whether something is terribly wrong with your faucet moving forward.
I have a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies…I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house.