Your home's plumbing, like any system, can slowly begin to experience problems over time due to use and wear. One of the most common residential plumbing problems is noisy pipes, which can occur for a variety of different reasons and can represent both minor and major plumbing issues within your home. Thankfully, you can easily troubleshoot your noisy plumbing and fix it before it becomes even more of a nuisance.
High Water Pressure
The most common reason for noisy plumbing is high water pressure. If all of your faucets and showerheads have high water pressure, you may want to consider having a pressure regulator installed. High water pressure places more stress on your plumbing and makes leaks and breaks much more likely. You'll have to contact a professional plumber to have a regulator installed, but it can save you money in the long run by reducing the risk of needed repairs.
Loose Brackets
If you notice a rattling or vibrating sound when you turn on your water, the problem likely lies with mounting brackets that have become loose over time. This causes the pipes to shake as water flows through them. You'll want to check all of the exposed plumbing that you can to see if the brackets need new screws (or if new brackets need to be installed). Be sure to only use brackets made out of the same type of metal as your plumbing—using two different types of metal can cause your pipes to degrade and start leaking.
Water Hammers
Water hammer is actually a fairly serious plumbing problem, and it can be identified by the loud thudding sounds that occur when you turn your water on or off. If left unchecked, water hammer can cause damage and even leaks in your plumbing. In order to eliminate water hammer, you need to refill the air in your plumbing's air chambers to act as a cushion. While this sounds complicated, it's a fairly straightforward process. All you have to do is shut off your home's water supply, open the faucet in the highest point in your house, and then open the faucet at the lowest point of your house. Water will flow out of the low faucet, and will be replaced with air flowing into the uppermost faucet. Then, all you have to do is wait for the water to finish draining before you close the faucets and turn the water back on. There should now be enough air in your plumbing to cushion the water moving around inside the pipes.
For additional information, contact a plumbing company like Reeves Plumbing & Heating.
