When Plumbing Pipes Make Noise?

As your home grows old, you’d hear more hissing, whistling, shrieking, and other sounds coming from behind your walls. It might freak you out, but rest assured that you’re not about to live out a horror movie. These noises usually indicate serious plumbing issues and should be given immediate attention.

Below Are Examples Of The Noises You Might Hear And What They Could Mean For Your Plumbing System:

1. If there are banging noises coming from your pipes, this could mean that there is a problem with the water pressure. When it is running and is abruptly stopped, the rushing water has no place to flow out from, and this causes it to slam against the valve that has been shut off. The banging noise that follows is referred to as a water hammer.
2. If you hear a humming sound, it could signify that the water pressure in your home’s plumbing system is significantly high. This causes the pipes to vibrate, which creates a humming sound behind your walls that becomes more audible when your water is running.
3. If you hear a gurgling sound, air chambers are being formed in your drain due to a clogged pipe in your plumbing system. The air chambers obstruct the proper water draining due to dirt, food, soap, or other forms of debris.
4. A loose or broken washer usually causes a whistling sound from your plumbing system. Your appliances make a lot of movement, which can cause your washer to break or cause the nuts and bolts to wear out faster. 
5. Pipes are secured with sets of fasteners behind your home’s walls, floors, and ceilings. Should any of the fasteners come loose, the pipes will “rattle” around as water runs through them. 

Extremely hot water can cause copper pipes to expand, but the moment they contract again, they scrape against the support brackets in walls, resulting in the rattling noise you hear in your walls.

Noisy water pipes are caused by many factors, most of which we have discussed above. Should you experience any of these in your home, your best bet is to call in a professional to give a proper diagnosis of the noises you hear and proffer a solution as well.