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Author:
wagonfan (IL)
First time poster, hope you all can help out.
We have a raised ranch with a basement bath directly below our upstairs bath. This AM, while my wife was showering, I heard what sounded like a dripping sound, like water dripping from about 3 feet up and splatting on our tile floor. It was coming from behind a wall, so I frantically took down the paneling, exposing the waste stack (and where it enters our foundation) and other assorted plumbing. No water anywhere to be seen, no weeping on the pipes or the stack. The sound seems to be coming from inside the stack, below the basement floor. While the water is running upstairs, it almost sounds like you have a faucet running very very slowly from inside the stack.
I'm certainly not a plumber, so I'm wondering what this could be? House was built in 1953, and there is a "DIY" installation of a stall shower that goes into the side of the waste stack about 2 inches above the basement floor (almost comes in at a right angle), if that may have anything to do with it.
EDIT: I hear no sound when using any of the basement bath fixtures (sink and stall shower), only when water i used upstairs.
We're puzzled by the sound, as it sort of just showed up today.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Edited 2 times.
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Author:
packy (MA)
probably hot water expansion noise. why it just started after all these years ?? possible settling of a beam causing it to contact a hot water pipe?
try running just cold water to see what happens.
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Author:
wagonfan (IL)
Running any water upstairs does the same thing; once we get the water flowing in the upstairs sink or shower, it takes maybe 10 seconds for the noise to start. Once we turn it off, about 10 seconds for it to stop. It sound like water hitting a shallow puddle, but it's coming from inside the stack pipe. So weird.
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Author:
steve (CA)
Maybe that's exactly what it is. A partial blockage downstream of the stack backs up water and forms a puddle at the base of the stack?
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Author:
packy (MA)
well, then lets take another educated guess.
partial stoppage in the pipe causing a puddle to form and the falling water makes noise as it hits it.
hows that for a guess.:>
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Author:
wagonfan (IL)
I'm thinking the last 2 responses might be what we're hearing!
I should have changed the title from "soil stack" to "waste stack", as it's the shower, not the toilet.
Is there a way we can try to clear out the stack? Just to be on the safe side!
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Author:
steve (CA)
There often times is a cleanout near the base of the stack, otherwise a cleanout should be installed there.
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