3 Causes of Noisy Pipes in Your Home

5/20/2022 (Permalink)

Hidden water damage in an Austin, TX home

Three Reasons for Noisy Pipes in Your House

You may be accustomed to the many noises in your Austin, TX, home, such as the settling pops and crackles that occur in the fall or the sound of your HVAC system as it turns off and on, but did you know that noisy plumbing may be trying to tell you something? Loud plumbing is usually not considered normal and may indicate an imminent failure somewhere in your home, such as a pipe break. Learning to recognize different sounds your home's plumbing makes may help you head off flooding problems before they begin.

1. Pipe Banging or Chattering
Pipes that bang or chatter as water runs may indicate a loose pipe or that a section of exterior pipe is too close to the wall and making contact with it each time you turn on the water. While the vibrations are not harmful to the pipes on their own, they may weaken the section that hits the wall, causing an eventual pipe burst. You may want to consider changing or altering that section to reduce noise and damage to the plumbing.

2. Whistling May Warn of a Pipe Break
Faucets or toilets that whistle when turned on or when they are flushed may indicate a weak valve or an obstruction in one of the pipes. Whistling sounds that increase over time may be a warning that a pipe break is about to occur due to a clog, so turning off the water to that appliance and investigating the pipes can prevent this.

3. Squealing and Worn Valves
Not only are squealing pipes an annoyance but they could eventually harm your home's plumbing system over time. You can prevent this by dismantling the faucet and examining whether the rings and valves need replacing. If you believe the problem is a serious clog, you can call in a water restoration and mitigation company to remove it and fix broken pipe sections if necessary.
Noisy pipes in your Austin, TX, home are usually an annoyance that you may not always recognize as the symptom of a larger issue. You can prevent flooding and other problems by investigating these noises and their causes.