Plumbing

Are you experiencing a loud banging noise coming from your walls when you flush the toilet or start your washing machine? This could be what is known as a ‘water hammer’ and can be quite frustrating when it occurs time and time again. But why exactly does it happen? Are you experiencing any of the following:

Noisy toilet flush

Loud when flushing the upstairs toilet

Noisy water pipes after flushing the toilet

What is the Cause of Banging Noises in Water Pipes?

One of the most common complaints that come from homeowners is the loud banging or banging noises, if you hear it coming from your pipes, you have probably got an issue with water flow or high water pressure, this can usually be fixed with a pressure reducer or regulator, most homes will already have these and professionals call them a ‘water hammer’.

My Water Pipes are Shaking and Rattling

Most piping is behind the wall, under the floor or in the ceiling of your property, some will need to be hung with fasteners and if one of these slips, gets loose or comes off then the pipe will start moving and swaying as the water runs through it. Copper pipes will expand as warm water travels through the metal surface, especially if the temperature on the hot water heater is high.

Copper pipes will carry hot water and enlarge, then they will reduce in size again which makes them scrape against the property’s joists, studs or the support brackets in the walls, resulting in loud noises.

My Plumbing is Making a Humming Noise

If the water pressure in your home is too high from your plumbing system capacity, then your pipes might start to vibrate. If the water is running then you may hear a humming sound coming from the pipes.

This can happen to any size of property and if your home draws on well water then you’ll be at a higher risk of vibrating pipes. If this happens, we recommend that you take a look at your water tank, call a professional plumbing company like Solutions Plumbing and Heating.

Water Hammer

Think of a water hammer being like a train, if it is travelling along at its full speed, then all of a sudden a large object emerges on the track. This then causes the train to crash, which results in all of the train cars to crash into each car in front. This is very similar to what happens in your pipes but on a much smaller scale, but don’t panic.

As you flush your toilet, the water will run quickly through the pipes, but by doing so, when the toilet finishes filling up it closes a valve which will cause all of the water to crash against it. This will be the noise and vibration you experience when flushing the toilet or starting the washing machine. This water hammer noise is known to cause the pipes to bang against the wall, which indicates where the name comes from.

Water Hammer Noise

Do you hear a banging, pounding or vibrating noise? Is it when your taps are turned off, or maybe it’s from a hydraulic shock in your plumbing pipework, hydraulic shocks are often referred to as a ‘water hammer’. The banging noise that you hear is from the vibrations in the pipes, they will have been caused by pressure in the plumbing system, if a tap or valve has opened.

Water hammers can be created when a vacuum has been formed in the water, if the water continues to flow after the valve has been shut, this can create a vacuum, this fast flowing water will travel through the pipes and create a greater shockwave with the vibrations.

How To Stop a Water Hammer?

Fixing your water hammer will depend upon when your home was built, so try to find this out
before continuing to read on.

If your home was built in or before the 1960’s, you have a simple fix to this problem. This can be done by doing the following:

• Turn off the water supply to your home
• Drain all of the water from the pipes
• Open all faucets, flush toilets, turn on a cycle of washing machine/dishwasher
• Turn the water back on
• Listen out for any noises – there should be none!

Was your home built in the 1970s to 1990s? If so, these properties have little to no water hammer protection. The best advice we can provide is to contact a professional plumber such as ourselves, as we will be able to install a water hammer arrestor for you to resolve this issue.

We also have advice for homes that have been built since the 1990s. These modern homes are all built with water hammer arrestors so you may have a malfunctioned water hammer, which is very rare. But don’t panic, we can either repair or replace your water hammer quickly and efficiently. Simply call our team to speak to a friendly, experienced member of our team who will do our best to help you in any way possible.

Water Hammer Arrestor

Water hammer arrestors are used to absorb the shock when the water flowing in the pipe system stops rapidly, this is due to closing the shutoff valves, it will protect against damaging effects. The right sized water hammer should be placed on the supplier and it will help to absorb the shock as quickly as possible.

Water Hammer with Washing Machine

Sometimes after installing a new kitchen appliance this can be a common problem, it will be to do with the solenoid valves. Washing machines have a water supply that can be controlled by the solenoid valves, they will be electrically operated and will stop the flow of water straight away, when this happens the water will then reflect back up to the pipe and produce shockwaves causing the bang.

Noisy Pipes when Flushing Toilet

If you hear a banging noise coming from the pipes when you flush the toilet, it’s likely to be a water hammer problem. It’s a shockwave effect that will happen after a change in water pressure, this will cause the pressurised water to bang against the valve opening, if it’s not been fixed, a water hammer may create a serious plumbing problem.

Do I Need to Get Noisy Pipes Fixed?

When it comes to hydraulic shock, this can be from either metal or plastic pipework, it tends to be more obvious in metal pipework, this is due to the capability of metal when it transmits sound more effectively than plastic. For those who suspect that they have a hydraulic shock issue, they could speak to a plumbing team or a qualified heating engineer as soon as possible as they will be able to fix the problem.

The rapid pressure may increase and result in vibrations as well as stresses in the pipework, joints and fixings. In severe cases of hydraulic shock, pipes can rupture and cause water damage or flooding inside your property. If the banging noise gets louder, this means that the vibrations have increased and the rupture has gotten worse.

What Can be Done to Stop the Banging Noise?

After an experienced plumber or heating engineer has diagnosed the issues, they’ll then try to fix the problem. There are ways in which the flow of water can be slowed down, this will be where the pressure has been built up. When it comes to fitting new valves, it should be those that close slowly, other steps include checking plumbing pipework and making sure that it is fixed securely in place, this will help to prevent any movement in the future.

Contact Solutions Plumbing Today

For more information on noisy plumbing and how we can help to fix water hammers and your pipes, get in touch with the professional plumbers at Solutions Plumbing and Heating today.

We also offer plumbing services in Epsom, Fulham, Kingston-upon-Thames, Mitcham, New Malden, Richmond, Surrey, Twickenham and Wimbledon.