Three Reasons For That Banging Sound in Your Plumbing And What To Do About It

It may be keeping you up at night, startling you into spilling your coffee, or just driving you out of your mind as you try to complete each day's work in your home office. Banging sounds in your plumbing system are no fun for anybody, but you don't have to feel helpless in the face of this adversity. Here are three reasons you might hear a banging sound from the pipes and steps you can take to avert the problem.

1. Water in the steam pipes

If you have a hot water heater that uses steam, you may want to check the water level. When the water is too high it can get into the steam pipes where it doesn't belong, causing some very weird noises. Adjusting the water level is a necessity in this case, but you'll also need a plumber to purge the water from the pipes in order to get the sounds to stop. You should ask your plumber for advice on avoiding this problem in the future.

2. Air in the water pipes

This is almost the opposite of the last problem, but it can actually cause similar sounds. Air in the water pipes is a frequent cause of "water hammer" and other strange sounds. Water hammer is the classic pipe banging sound that occurs most often just when you shut off the faucet. The flowing water that hits the blockage rebounds, causing shock waves throughout the water that emerge into the pipe as vibrations that you perceive as sound. The procedure to remove air from the pipes is called "bleeding" and you may be able to do it yourself if you're a handy homeowner familiar with plumbing. If not, don't worry; any experienced plumber, like those at Angeles Plumbing, can handle it.

3. Loose pipes

Water rushing through a pipe can cause it to vibrate, which is why all the pipes in your house are supposed to be strapped firmly to the structure to reduce wear and impacts. If a section of pipe is not firmly secured, vibrations may cause it to move back and forth, striking the inside of your wall to make a banging sound. This physical impact, of course, can cause damage to the pipe. Fixing this problem is as simple as finding the faulty length of pipe and securing it.

These three culprits can all cause strange sounds within the walls of your house. With a little home improvement experience of the help of a seasoned plumbing contractor, you can find the guilty party and eliminate it.

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