causes solutions whistling toilet

Causes and Solutions for Whistling Sounds in the Toilet

After enough repeated uses, whether we mean to or not, most of us develop a basic expectation for what the toilets in our home sound like when they’re flushed properly. And as it turns out, this can be valuable knowledge – when you hear noises that are not part of the usual routine, it can be a sign that something is wrong that requires further examination.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re here to help with any and all such noise-related concerns coming from the toilet as part of our overall plumbing services. Our plumbers have encountered every form of toilet noise and every related issue you could imagine, and we’ll help you diagnose the problem and repair it quickly. One common such noise you may hear coming from the toilet? A high-pitched whistling sound. Let’s go over what this sound might mean, plus what you can do about it.

Causes of a Whistling Toilet

In some cases, your toilet will give off a light, soft whistle that you can barely hear. In others, the whistle will be much louder and impossible to miss, often a violently loud whistle. Both these will begin directly after flushing and usually persist through the entire flushing process.

In most cases, the cause of a whistling toilet is a metal ballcock valve. These valves come with a ball and armature, which can begin to vibrate as the toilet tank refills. This is the event that causes the whistling sound you hear – the vibration itself is usually due to a damaged fill valve gasket, or could also be because of simple wear-and-tear that have worn down the valve itself.

Fixing a Whistling Toilet

Fixing this whistling noise, then, comes down to either replacing the gasket inside the fill valve or simply replacing the entire valve itself. Either of these are affordable processes, as modern toilet valves are made from inexpensive plastic materials that are easy to find at any hardware store.

For those without much experience replacing toilet parts, replacing the entire valve might be easier – it doesn’t require you to take the valve apart to find the gasket. All you usually have to do here is unscrew the old valve and screw the new one back into place.

When to Call Our Plumbers

When should you turn the reins over to one of our experienced plumbers here? Well, the answer really depends on your own comfort level. If you’re familiar with the insides of a toilet and know where the ballcock valve is, replacing it yourself is simple and easy. But if you’re unsure about your skills here in any way, or worried you might break important pieces or otherwise mess things up, you should call our team and allow our plumbers to perform this basic repair for you, at an affordable cost.

For more on the causes and solutions for whistling sounds coming from the toilet, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.