What Causes Noisy Pipes?

Noisy pipes are quite annoying. They can interfere with daily activities, such as listening to music or watching TV and make it hard to get to sleep as well. However, worse yet, they may indicate a plumbing issue that could become serious if you don’t deal with it. So, to help you understand what might be causing your noisy pipes, we are going to discuss some of the common causes of this issue in this article.

Banging Noises

If your pipes are making banging noises, it likely means that air has become trapped in your plumbing system or that someone turned off a faucet too quickly. If the banging is a result of air in your home’s pipes, the banging generally occurs right after you turn on the faucet. You may find that in addition to a banging noise, the water tends to sputter.

In contrast, if the banging is caused by air in your plumbing system, it typically will begin after you turn off an appliance or a faucet. This type of banging is caused by a hydraulic shock. The shock happens when water that is running through the pipes runs into a valve or faucet that has been quickly shut off. When the water quickly goes from on to off, high pressure is created and causes a shockwave. This causes the pipes to collide with each other or other items behind your walls, thus making a banging sound.

Creaking Noises

Another common noise that occurs in pipes is creaking noises. This generally occurs in copper pipes. It is caused by the copper pipes expanding as hot water runs through them and then returning to their original size as they cool. This change in size can cause the pipes to scrape against various items around them, thus causing creaking noises. If your copper pipes do creak, they are probably not sufficiently insulated. You may be able to solve the creaking problem by lowering the temperature of your water heater slightly.

Rattling Noises

When water pipes make a rattling sound, it’s often due to the pipes vibrating behind the walls because of loose plumbing system components or high water pressure. If either of these problems is causing the rattling, the vibrating will occur when you start an appliance that uses water or turn on your faucets.

When water pressure is too high, it can damage the appliances using the water. Because of this, new houses generally have water pressure regulators. If you have a home that does not have a water pressure regulator, you may want to have one  installed by a professional plumbing company.

Gurgling Noises

Gurgling noises come from drain systems and typically mean a drain is clogged. When a drain system is working correctly, the water drains through the pipes pushing the air ahead of it as it drains and causing a vacuum effect. However, if the drain is partially clogged, the water will not flow through the pipes correctly and create a vacuum as it should. This means the air and water will not flow as they should, and the air will be forced back through the water, which causes gurgling noises.

Final Thoughts

There are many issues that can cause your pipes to make noise. There are some issues you may be able to fix yourself. However, some of these issues may require a plumber to properly diagnose and fix. If you are unsure about being able to solve the problem yourself, it is best to contact a plumber to avoid more serious and costly plumbing problems.

Contact Us

If you need help diagnosing and fixing your noisy pipes, don’t hesitate to call J Griffin Heating & Plumbing. With more than 30 years of plumbing experience, you can trust your plumbing to us. Call us at 781-520-1212 or connect with us on Facebook.