Plumbing and Piping - what is this sound?

Last Friday morning when my wife started a load of clothes we noticed for the first time a wooshing sound coming from the water line. It sounds like an ultrasound, the heart beat of a baby in the womb (but louder). It mainly only happens when something has the water wide open like the washing machine, dishwasher, shower, etc. Running the sink or flushing the toilet doesn't seem to have the same effect. The only thing that we had done out of the ordinary is we filled an outdoor pool a couple days before and probably used 10,000 gallons of water but it ran through an outside hose. I called the water authority and the rude lady mentioned that my pressure regulator valve might be the problem but I didn't know if that meant adjusting or replacing. I would think this might be a failure in the hardware because of the constant cycling sound of the water pressure but I need some expert opinions on it before going much further... thanks!

Since you filled the pool, I would go to the water meter first. Turn on the shower, cold water only first. Toucb the pipes, see if there is any vibration or if the sound is the strongest at the meter.

If it's hot water only, go to the tank or boiler & do the same.

It is not hot water only, I tested with the outside spicket and it causes the same sound. I went to the meter out at the street and can see the meter indicator pulsating as well.

I believe that the pressure reguator valve that the lady mentioned is in the water meter, in which case, the meter should be changed. If it's somwhere else, try to locate it.

You may have a PRV in or under the house, where the line comes from the street. They look something like this....http://www.watts.com/prod_images/hi-res/N250.JPG

Don't know whether it could cause something like this, but it seems reasonable that it could.

yes, I have a similar valve right after the shut off in my basement. I researched and there is a screen inside that can be removed/cleaned/reinstalled so I did that hoping there was something partially blocking the water flow. There was very little in there but I cleaned it and put it bad only to find no change.

No plumber here, but it may be that it has failed and is pulsing the pressure slightly during high flow rates. The items you mention are hi flow fixtures, where a sink or toilet are relatively low flow.

You outside faucet may or may not be after the PRV. I've seen them both ways.

What happens if you open several sinks taps, both hot and cold full blast? You may be able to actually hear or feel it at the PRV then.

As I said, not a plumber, but sounds like you could need a new one. Relatively cheap, and could be easy or a bit tough to replace, depending on how its installed and the type of pipe you have.

One of the Pro's will check in later I'm sure.

Let the water company change the meter. You may be going crazy for nothing. Call them again. If you get the same lady, ask to speak to someone else.