There is a variety of things that can go wrong with your plumbing. It may seem like you are calling the plumber every month to come and fix something.
However, many plumbing problems you can fix yourself. One of the many problems you may be experiencing is noisy or banging pipes. There are many odd noises that pipes can make including everything from high squeaking to hammering sounds. These noises are usually common occurrences in older homes, which lends these homes to stories about ghosts.
There are almost as many causes of these noises as there are noises. Some of these causes may include loose pipes, water logged air chambers, and water pressure that is set too high.
If the cause of your noisy pipes is that they are loose, it is a very simple solution. At least, it is a simple solution if the pipe is exposed.
You can easily anchor the pipe in some way if you can get to it. However, you may want to call a professional who may have special tools to reach pipes that are less easily reached.
Most modernly installed pipes are anchored every six to eight feet on horizontal runs and eight to ten feet for vertical runs. If your pipes tend to bang whenever you turn on or off the water, you may want to check to make sure none of the nearby pipes need to be strapped down.
You may also be able to cushion the pipes with a rubber blanket to prevent it from making the noise when it hits something else if you cannot strap is down from some reason. Even though you will want to anchor it securely so it cannot bang against other things, you will need to leave room for the pipe to expand.
This is particularly the case if the pipe you are anchoring is plastic. It is also important that you do not use galvanized straps on copper pipes as they can damage them.
While squeaking is a smaller noise, it can be no less annoying than banging. Sometimes you may think that you have a mouse problem, but all of your efforts do not seem to get rid of it.
Squeaking is often caused by the pipe rubbing on its anchors as it expands and contracts. To prevent squeaking you can place a cushion between the strap and the pipe.
This will allow the pipe to expand, but it will not rub and make noise on the strap. Another sound you may be dealing with is what is called a water hammer.
A water hammer is a noise that occurs when you turn on or off the water quickly. For example, when you turn the water off, the water in the pipes slams to a stop because of the high pressure driving it.
As the water runs into the end of the pipe, the hammer sound is made. One of the potential problems causing this is loose pipes.
Again, the solution to loose pipes is to anchor them. Another potential problem causing this sound may be faulty air chambers.
In the pipes behind fixtures and appliances, there is often a certain amount of air that is designed to help cushion the shock from when the rushing water is stopped. This air is meant to prevent the hammer sound.
However, if the air gets replaced with safety valves, they will not function properly or stop the sound. In order to fix these air cushions, you will need to turn off the main shutoff valve for your water.
Then, you will need to turn on all of the faucets in the house and let the water that is in the pipes drain out. When all of the water has drained out, close the faucets and turn on the main shutoff valve.
Your pipes should have enough air to prevent the hammer sound if that was the source of the problem. The last potential cause of the hammering noise may be that the water pressure in your pipes has risen above 80 psi.
PSI stands for pounds per square inch. By lowering the pressure, the water will not rush into the end of the pipe so hard when you turn off a faucet.
This should eliminate the noise. You can lower the pressure by installing a pressure-reducing valve.
It is probably a good idea to hire a plumber to do this for you. However, you can perform this task yourself and it should fix your noise problems.

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