Are the Pipes Making Noise in Your House?
ARE THE PIPES MAKING NOISE IN YOUR HOUSE?
If you lie awake at night in a quiet house, you'll notice quite a few sounds. You get used to them over time or tune them out (unless you've just seen a horror movie and are waiting for a ghoul to come get you), but sometimes they change. Some household noises are the result of plumbing issues and pipes making noise. Read on to discover what some of these common sounds might mean:
BANGING NOISES
Banging from the pipes or pipes making noise might mean they are loose and not secured well within the walls (much less exciting than a ghost). It could also mean your home has pipes that flex when the water flowing through them stops. Both of these plumbing issues can be fixed easily by your plumber, and you won't have to worry about being woken up with a bang.
Improperly secured pipes behind walls may be the cause of the plumbing noises you’ve described. Since water supply pipes are made of metal, they transmit sound waves. As water flows through the system, it flows over obstructions and around turns, creating eddies in the water. These can be rhythmic depending on the speed of the water. When they reach a certain pitch, they cause the piping to begin vibrating in harmonic reaction to the wave created inside the pipe. In order to quiet your noisy water pipes, you’ll have to remove the offending part or debris that's causing the water to fluctuate. If the pipes are accessible, you can strap them with plastic clamps so they can't bang against the structure. If your piping is metal and runs through the joists or studs, then the problem may be expansion and contraction. As soon as either hot or cold water runs through pipes, they expand or contract, causing vibration and noise.
Another problem is water hammer. This happens when you have high water pressure. Water moving in one direction does not want to stop flowing. When you shut off a faucet, the water still has some force, which has to be absorbed, causing the pipe will flex. If the pipe is near wood, it will bang against the wood. You can stop this plumbing noise problem by installing water hammer arrestors on the offending water lines.
DRIPPING SOUNDS
If you notice a dripping noise, track it down because it could be plumbing noises. It’s probably just a leaky faucet but sometimes drips are inside walls, beneath water heaters or even the icemaker water supply line to your refrigerator. Leaking water can damage your home and invite mold. While you can do your best to find plumbing issues without assistance, you may want to bring in a professional simply to be sure your idea of where the leak is and how to fix it is correct. Trying to fix a leak yourself can be very costly to repair if you don’t know what you are doing.
TICKING
Ticking isn't a noise you want to hear in your house unless it's from a clock - what's the plumbing counting down to anyway? Rest assured, though - it's likely just a noise from your water meter that's coming into the house through the pipes. It should only happen if your meter is only a few feet away from your foundation and it will only be audible when water is running. This doesn't require a fix, and your best bet here is to become accustomed to it.
WHISTLING, SHRIEKING, AND HISSING
Have you noticed excessive water pipe noise lately? There are a lot of different types of noises that can result from hard-to-troubleshoot problems. If a water pipe starts whistling, shrieking, or hissing when a toilet is flushed, the shower is running, or a faucet is turned on, it may caused by one of a few things:
Air in the system—air can get pushed into the system along with water. This causes a lot of noise possibilities ranging from rattling, clicking, and banging.
- A loose washer—especially in the case of faucets, there are a lot of smaller parts that help make the faucet function properly. If there are pieces coming loose, eroding, or warping, the passing water can create whistling, shrieking, and even hissing sounds.
- Unstable piping—if your home plumbing system wasn't installed properly, or the supports for the pipes have come loose, pipes will start to vibrate excessively and rub on different things in the wall. This can create quite a racket."
To fix these noises, it is important to recognize that, in most cases, noisy plumbing is not dangerous to the structure of your home. Only in serious situations does vibrating plumbing lead to serious leaks. However, if the noise becomes quite violent, it is important to have a Roto-Rooter technician come out to perform a system inspection. They will not only be able to pinpoint where the sounds are coming from, but also let you know exactly what is causing the noise. If there are serious problems going on that need repair, the technician will give you appropriate recommendations for products and services that will help you repair the problem.
VIBRATING SOUNDS IN THE WALL WHENEVER THE TOILET IS FLUSHED
This is typically the toilet's fill valve. When the diaphragm gasket inside the top cap of the fill valve goes bad, it loses elasticity and becomes hard. When it tries to shut off, it bounces in micro vibrations sending a shock wave back into the piping. You can test the fill valve theory by removing the tank lid and lifting gently on the fill valve float arm. If the noise stops, you've found your problem and should proceed with replacing the fill valve.
RUMBLING SOUND COMING FROM THE WATER HEATER
Rumbling sounds coming from a water heater are an indication that sediment has built up on the bottom of the water heater. What you are hearing is water that is trapped in the sediment and is boiling. This is an indication that the water heater is not operating efficiently. Sediment will not allow the heat to transfer to the water in the tank, which sends the heat up the flue.
You may try draining a few gallons of water off the bottom of the water heater tank. This is done by attaching a drain hose to the valve at the bottom of the tank. Allow it to drain for about five minutes.
WARNING: HOT WATER IS DANGEROUS. DISCHARGE THE WATER INTO A FLOOR DRAIN, LAUNDRY TUB OR BATHTUB. HOT WATER WILL KILL YOUR GRASS IF DISCHARGED ONTO THE LAWN. HOT WATER WILL CRACK A TOILET BOWL IF DISCHARGED INTO THE TOILET.
Many newer models of water heaters have a new feature that prohibits the build-up of sediment in the tank. If your heater is an older model, it may be cost effective to replace the water heater if the build-up is severe.
PULSING/WHOOSHING SOUND IN THE MAIN SUPPLY LINE WHEN WATER IS FLOWING (FAUCET OPEN, TOILET FILLING), BUT THE SOUND GOES AWAY WHEN VALVE CLOSES
These noises often occur when the pipes are beginning to develop build-up on the inside. Often galvanized pipe and copper pipe will have these types of noises, because of the harder turns and the reverberation that occurs because the pipe is metal. Galvanized pipe often develops calcium and mineral deposits on the inside, which causes the water to swirl and create noisy water pipes.