What Makes a Sink Faucet Noisy When Turned on?

Sink faucets sometimes make noise when turned on because something is wrong with the faucet or the home's plumbing. These problems are common in homes today, and some simple fixes do exist. If your faucet is making a noise, first discern which type of noise it is.

If your faucet has a loose washer inside where the water valve is located, it will make noise when the water comes on, which is due to the wobbling of the washer in the faucet. This issue only occurs in one particular faucet. To fix it take off the handle and tighten the packing nut. If this doesn't work, remove the packing nut and take out the stem and washer. Replace them with new replacement parts and reassemble your faucet. The new washer will not wobble inside the faucet.

Many new faucets today use cartridges instead of a stem and washer. These faucets are washerless and therefore do not have a washer inside to wobble and vibrate. They still may make noise because debris, sediment and other objects may block and obstruct water flow, which causes vibrations in the faucet and pipes. If only one faucet makes a rattling or vibrating noise, inspect the cartridge by removing the handle and retaining nut. Replace the cartridge, and rebuild the faucet. New cartridges will not have any obstructions blocking water flow.

If the faucet noise is a banging sound, the issue is probably with your plumbing. It could be the pressure regulator, which regulates the pressure in the pipes. Or there may be a blockage in one of your pipes. Any type of imbalance in water pressure causes pipes to shake and rattle, banging against the walls or their supports. Pipes that are not properly secured to the walls or secured using broken supports will vibrate when water is turned on, especially when a blockage or obstruction increases water pressure.

A squealing sound occurs when hot water is turned on. This squealing sound is caused by the pipes expanding inside of their metal support brackets. Hot water causes the metal pipes to expand and, when they do, they stretch and scrape against their support brackets. If your faucet makes noise only when the hot water is turned on, this is most likely the problem. Fastening the pipes to plastic brackets is the only way to avoid this issue.