Question: I own a 1950′s ranch-style home in the South. For a few days now there is a sound like running water in the wall between the two bathrooms. It actually sounds like the bath or shower in the opposite room is on when it isn’t. The biggest problem is that I can’t find a way to access the pipes. Am I missing something or do I have to cut a hole in the wall.
Answer:What I would do before cutting into any wall, is to make sure every water source in the house is turned off. Then, go to your water meter and watch the water flow needle. Is it moving? You can put a piece of tape on the glass right over the needle so you’ll have a reference point. If the needle is not moving then I might ask you, do you have a hot water circulating pump on your hot water heater? This is another possibility for the source of the noise.
Also, the next time you hear the noise, check both toilets to see if they are running. When a toilet flapper gets old and brittle, water can seep past the seal which causes the water level in the tank to drop. Naturally, when the water level drops the fill valve will kick on to refill the tank. An easy way to check for a leaky flapper is to add some food coloring to the tank of the toilet only. If the flapper is leaking, you will find the food coloring in the bowl later. Flappers are cheap and easy to replace.