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It’s Not a Ghost! Addressing Noisy Plumbing in Your Home

As homes age, the number of things that go bump in the night tends to increase. Banging, shrieking, whistling, and hissing sounds might make you suspect paranormal activity, but they’re a normal part of a house’s life. In this helpful guide from Roto-Rooter, learn to identify where your home’s plumbing noises might be coming from and how to figure out whether they indicate a serious problem.

One of the most common reasons for noisy pipes is air. If too much air is being pushed through pipes with running water, you’ll hear rustling, hissing, and loud whistling noises when a faucet is turned on or the toilet is flushed. This is usually not a serious problem.

Air in your pipes can potentially become a problem if temperatures drop suddenly and your pipes are at risk of freezing. If water in your pipes freezes and expands, it puts pressure on air pockets inside the pipe. These air pockets can potentially get trapped, building up pressure and causing pipes to crack or burst. If you experience cold winters, prevent frozen pipes by fitting them with insulation and letting faucets drip during extremely cold temperatures.

If you only notice loud creaking noises after using hot water, it might be your copper pipes. Copper pipes expand and contract with temperature. As hot water runs through the line, the copper pipe will expand and then quickly contract as it cools. The quick contraction is what causes the pipe to rub against braces, studs, or joists in the walls and make loud creaking noises. While this problem isn't serious, there are ways to minimize the noise.

  1. Find where the noise is coming from.
  2. Cut a hole in the sheetrock where the pipe is running.
  3. Replace the metal brackets on the pipes with plastic braces.
  4. Line foam up and down the length of the pipe to create a barrier between the pipe and anything it rubs against.

If you’re experiencing a plumbing problem that you can’t quite figure out, give the expert plumbers at Roto-Rooter a call. We’re at your service around the clock to diagnose and repair plumbing problems in any room of the house.

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