Singing while showering is a normal pastime for frustrated vocalists. But when you hear your shower whistle, that’s another story. Shower whistles are not normal and should be fixed immediately by a professional plumber near you. But first, we must understand why your shower whistles and how to fix it.
Why your shower whistle
When you shower, the water pressure creates a vacuum that forces air out of the drain. The more water flows in and out of the shower, the more air is forced out of the gutter. This creates a whistling noise.
The sound is caused by a drop in atmospheric pressure as air rushes from high-pressure to low-pressure areas. The whistling noise happens when two openings allow air to escape, such as when there are two holes for water to flow into and out of the shower head.
Either way, water pressure or restriction causes shower whistling and should be fixed immediately. You should also be aware of the possible reasons why your shower is whistling and how you can fix it.
There’s a clog in your showerhead.
It could be a clogged showerhead that is causing the shower to whistle. Check your showerhead and look closely at the holes or nozzles where the water comes out. If you have hard water at home, there’s a big chance that there are mineral deposits such as limescale that have to build up in the holes, hence causing the clogging.
Not sure if it’s the showerhead? Disrupting the showerhead from the showerhead pipe, then turning on the water. If there’s no whistling sound, it’s likely because your showerhead is the main source of whistling. In this case, you should replace the showerhead or remove the mineral buildup using vinegar.
There’s a clog in your showerhead pipe.
It’s also likely there’s clogging in your showerhead pipe. Like when water forces its way through the clogged holes of your showerhead, the same can also happen when water rushes through a clogged showerhead pipe.
To confirm your suspicions:
- Remove the showerhead and check the pipe for signs of buildup.
- Carefully pour diluted white distilled vinegar and let the solution sit for an hour.
- Turn the arm back and let the vinegar solution pour out.
- Test the shower if there’s still a whistling sound.
There’s high water pressure.
If the water flow is unusually slow while showering, or hot water seems to come out slower than usual, it could be because of high water pressure. In this case, you may have to install or replace a water pressure regulator. It could also be because of worn-out parts that should be fixed or replaced immediately.
There are worn-out valves.
Sometimes, the cause of the shower whistles can be more complicated. In this case, it is best to leave it to the experts. If the whistling is because of worn-out valves (diverter valve, shower cartridge, or handle valves), it is best to hire a professional plumbing service in Spring Hill, TN, to help fix your whistling shower.
