Who is not familiar with the frustrating sounds of knocking and humming from the pipes in your home, spoiling your sleep mid of night! At first, you want to stay in your warm bed – ignoring the persistent noise but inevitably, you are unable to keep up with the growing noise, compelling you to wake.
These annoying noises generating due to faulty pipes and other unexpected plumbing defects can be immensely annoying and are a clear indication that your pipes need instant repair work and you might have to bear pipe relining cost.
However, on closely examining the problem you might find that there is plenty of water leaking from the pipes and you are unable to find the leaks. However, it is not necessary that your pipe has big leaks rather the dripping of water could be the result of seating or condensation issues on the drainpipes.
Another major concern could be ‘knocking’ in your pipes, which in most cases is caused by inconsistent water pressure developed in the main pipes supplying water into your place. Maintaining the correct pressure is integral as it keeps the flow of water consistent between pipes and into the faucets. Similar to these factors, there might be many other small yet highly annoying faults in your pipes – also, pipe bursting is a major headache during freezing winter.
Fortunately, there are many simple solutions to sort out such issues, which in some cases, does not even require specialized plumbing expertise.
So, to what problem actually are the pipes in your place trying to converge your attention? Now let us discuss in this article some simple solutions to this ruckus.
- Banging or Knocking
Generally, the main cause of banging is connected with variable pressure and flow of water. This can be caused due to the trapped air bubbles or water hammers.
The issue of water hammering occurs when you shot off a water faucet or valve abruptly. This can be understood with the basics of physics, as the water, which was rushing down the tap, carried high momentum and when the opening is suddenly closed, the high momentum breaks that result in loud banging. This phenomenon can instigate a series of small bangs all throughout the pipes, causing damage at any unexpected spot.
The simplest fix to this kind of damaging situation is to shut the main valve first. Now, through the faucets in your home, flush all the lines. Ensure the water lines are entirely empty.
Once you have successfully cleared each line, you can comfortably turn on the main supply valve. Nevertheless, make sure you do it gradually so that the water can easily fill up the air chambers across the pipes.
- Humming
Humming is caused when the pressure in pipes is exceedingly fast. This can result in pipes’ vibration and vibration causes humming, especially when the water is running.
Exceedingly high pressure can occur unexpectedly anytime in your home but is found more often in homes that pump water directly from well. Mostly it is advised to keep a check on the water tank pressure that should not be higher than 50 pounds per sq. inch. Unexpected high pressure can badly damage the pipe at many places, therefore must be dealt with appropriately.
In order to prevent any further damage caused by unwanted high pressure, you can install an air pressure gauge to the hose bib nearest to the main valve. This way you can measure the water pressure and avoid any exceeding value that can damage your pipes. Make sure that the pressure is maintained between 40 – 80 PSI.
- Gurgling
When the pipes are clogged, they have difficulty draining the water. They indicate this issue with a distinct sound known as gurgling,
Usually, a gurgling noise indicates an obstruction in the pipes. This clogging can be a result of accidentally washed off debris, plastic or solid particles that can damage your pipe and severely affect the flow of drains.
To avoid clogging that causes gurgling, you can run hot water through the pipe after each use. This practice will keep the pipe from clogging. In addition, you can through a bit of baking soda and follow with hot water to resolve this issue. Baking soda is a superb cleaning agent and leaves your pipes in good odor.
- Rattling
Most of the pipelines are confined inside walls, ceilings or floor coverings. However, if a pipe is suspended with a string then it must be fastened firmly. Otherwise, the loose pipe generates a rattling noise at the time when water rushes through the section. The hanging pipe with rushing water is always prone to danger can result in unexpected damages.
The best way to get rid of rattling is to inspect all the open plumbing pipes and see if they are firmly fastened. If not, seal them properly with strong straps – the rattling must no further occur. However, if the issue persists then it is better you call an expert plumber to prevent any further damage.
- Squealing or Whistling
Pipes are not the only responsible component for supplying you water in taps at the time of need. Rather, the whole system is based on the combination of pipes, faucets, and valves of different types to work properly. However, when any of these components is not functioning perfectly, you may notice a whistling sound. Your plumbing system relies on many small components to make the faucets and valves work properly.
Generally, sediments or particle deposits can accumulate in the pipes, thus blocking the flow and creating unwanted pressure, which causes further problems. This problem can be solved by either clearing the obstruction or altering the faucets and valves. With simple DIY skills and basic tools, you can sort out the problem all by yourself. If not, then it always to dial a plumber who can diagnose and kill the problem all at once.
Sweating
The fundamental cause of sweating is the comparative degree of cold water inside the pipe with its outer air. During summertime, the air is naturally warm but in winter, a furnace generally heats the air. In both of the cases, when warm air interacts with the coldness of pipe, moisture drops begin to appear that can eventually develop small drops of water dripping down the pipe, creating a frustrating noise during cold and quiet winter nights. Sweating can also lead to rusting that can permanently damage the pipes.
One easy way to combat pipe sweating is to insulate the pipe thoroughly. For this purpose, you can also use self-adhesive tape that is thick to wrap around the pipe firmly.
However, before you apply any insulating tape, you must make sure that the pipe is well dried so that you can cover it airtight. With this small remedy, you should no further find any trace of sweating.
Final Word
Small issues related to pipes can lead to big damages and a long disruption of water supply. With surface knowledge of the problems and simple remedies to solve them, you can definitely keep your pipes from any severe damage. Otherwise, you must never let the issue linger for long and consult a professional plumber at utmost priority.