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Noisy pipes are a common occurrence, especially in older homes. While strange noises coming from your plumbing system can be irksome, they can also be worrying. Nobody wants to experience plumbing problems, the prospect of which conjures up thoughts of all sorts of nightmare scenarios, from emergency leaks to expensive replacements.
Fortunately, noisy pipes are not often cause for concern if dealt with properly. The issue usually lies with simple issues that you can either handle yourself, or that can be dealt with through a routine call-out. Take the advice of an expert Plumber in London and follow the Homecure Plumbers guide to silencing those irritating noisy pipes.
Sometimes, the most obvious answer is the right answer. Pipework allows for the movement of water around your home, which means something is being carried through them, resulting in pressure and friction.
If you hear clunking, rattling, or vibrating from your noisy water pipes, it could simply be that your pipes aren’t fitted correctly. It could be the case that they never were fitted properly, or they’ve come loose over time. Either way, they need to be fixed.
If you can access the pipework, because it’s exposed or you can take simple steps to reach it, then attempt to re-establish appropriate fitting by tightening bolts or replacing worn-out fixtures. In some circumstances, you will be unable to reach the pipework, or new fixtures will not solve the issue as the piping has to be re-routed. In these particular scenarios, we recommend professional help.
It is common practice for pipework in the home to be made from copper. It’s a durable, malleable metal that has replaced the use of lead and steel in the modern era. However, copper is known to expand and contract with temperature. The temperature of the hot water heater can influence the expansion of copper pipes.
If you are experiencing noisy pipes, but it only occurs after you use hot water, the culprit is likely expanding copper pipework. This occurs when the pipe rubs against joints, brackets and support structures, or other hidden elements of your home, as it expands with heat. This is not a problem to be concerned with at all, as the metal is designed to handle such stress. However, if it is becoming an annoying issue, there are some methods of noise management:
Thuds and bangs within your pipework are perhaps the most alarming type of noise you can hear. They also have the potential to result in damage. The cause is often what is known as a water hammer.
A water hammer occurs when protection systems start to fail. Air chambers are installed near taps to stop rushing water slamming into valves when taps are turned off. Over time, however, water starts to replace the air, reducing the stopping power of the air chambers and allowing the liquid to crash into the valves; making that thudding noise. To fix the issue, you need to replenish the air supplies of the chambers. Doing so will silence those noisy pipes. Additionally, installing water hammer arrestors can help mitigate the banging noise caused by water hammer.
How do you fix a water hammer?
Your air chambers will now be replenished with the air required to absorb shocks and eliminating the thudding sound. If this does not work, we advise you request further help from a professional plumber to help with your noisy water pipes.
High mains water pressure is another cause of noisy pipes, and it can have serious consequences if it is not dealt with. Water forced through the pipework too quickly crashes around and bangs when taps and appliances shut off.
The pressure gauge on your boiler measures the heating system, not the pressure at your taps, so adjusting the boiler will not stop noisy water pipes. A plumber can test the incoming mains pressure at the stop tap and, if it is too high, fit a pressure-reducing valve to bring it down.
Our team at Homecure also repairs all the main boiler brands, including Worcester and Glow-worm.
Over time, wear and tear occurs in pipework, especially in hard water areas. Central heating systems also create sludge that can circulate through your pipes. In both these cases, solid particulates will start circulating your system, causing noisy pipes. The sounds you’ll hear will likely be a clinking, rattling, or even a gurgling noise; imagine grit hitting the side of metal.
This is the one problem on this list that we suggest you leave to a professional. Stubborn sludge or blockages need a heating engineer to clear them properly. Simply draining the system will not clear them. Check out our service on boiler repairs in London in more detail.
From the job: banging pipes and high mains pressure
Pipes banging every time a tap or the washing machine shut off. Mains pressure at the stop tap was over 6 bar. Fitted a pressure-reducing valve just after it, set to 3 bar, and the banging stopped.
Expert notes by Kevin Saban, Gas Safe registered engineer (Gas Safe ID 6115119), Homecure Plumbers – Gas Safe Reg 505421
If the noise is coming from the boiler rather than the pipes, these are the usual causes.
Kettling is the most common reason a boiler bangs, rumbles or whistles like a kettle. Limescale or sludge builds up on the heat exchanger and restricts the water flow, so the water overheats and turns to steam. Left alone, it makes the boiler work harder and shortens its life. Kettling is cleared with a chemical clean or a power flush of the heating system.
Gas Safe engineer only A banging boiler can also mean a faulty boiler thermostat or pump is letting it overheat. Testing or replacing these needs a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Gurgling usually means air in the system or low pressure. Check that the pressure gauge reads between 1 and 1.5 bar (if it is low, see how to repressurise a boiler) and bleed your radiators. In winter, a frozen condensate pipe can also make the boiler gurgle before it locks out. Thaw it with warm, not boiling, water.
Humming often comes from pressure that is too high or a pump running too fast. Check the pressure gauge first.
Gas Safe engineer only Adjusting the pump speed or replacing a worn pump should be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
If your boiler is still noisy after these checks, book a boiler repair.
Need assistance with noisy water pipes in your home? Contact the Homecure Plumbers team now to call out a plumber in North London or the Greater London area.