“You plumbing system should be silent as much as possible. But when you hear number of noises, then you must wonder why it is so. Each noise tells you something about what is calling out for correction. You just have to interpret the sound to apply the cure.”
Water flowing in pipes can cause all kinds of weird noises. We all know what water running through a pipe sounds like, but what about some of those other plumbing sounds – like creaks or cracking sounds, rattling, whistling and the most annoying or scary of them all, that loud banging noise? Let’s look at what causes those sounds and how you can fix them.
Creaks or a cracking sound
These are usually caused by the expansion and contraction of the water pipes themselves. As hot water runs through a pipe, it naturally heats the pipe, causing it to expand slightly. Once the water stops flowing, the pipe cools and the metal contracts, resulting in the creaking or cracking sound. The easiest way to fix this is to put some insulation around the pipe, or if the pipe is running through a tight fitting hole in the wood framing, cut a notch in the framing so the pipe can expand and then contract without that creaking sound.
 |
| Here the water pipe is wrapped securely to keep it from banging against the air duct. |
Rattling
The cause and remedy are similar to the cracking sound. The rattling sound comes from the pressure of water running through a loosely attached pipe, causing it to vibrate slightly. When a loose pipe vibrates against something solid, like framing or the strapping designed to hold it tightly, you hear the rattling sound. Stopping the pipe from vibrating will fix the rattle. Put some cushioning around the pipe or …
Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/waterhammer