Why Do My Pipes Make Noise in My Avoca Home or Business?

Pipes perform fairly simple functions; they bring fresh water to your fixtures and take wastewater away from your home or business. “So, why do my pipes make noise if their job is so simple?” you might ask when unsettling sounds rattle through your walls or beneath your feet. Complete Comfort’s plumbers in Avoca, IN, explore a few reasons below. 

Reasons Why Pipes on Avoca Properties Might Make Noise

Pipes can make a racket for numerous reasons. Often, those reasons indicate a bigger plumbing problem. Diagnosing and solving the issues quickly can prevent catastrophic problems like indoor floods or contaminated water supplies. Let’s examine why your pipes might rattle, shake, and make you jump. 

Loose Hardware

Pipe networks house washers, nuts, and valves. Each component helps control the quantity and flow of the water. A whistling noise might indicate a valve malfunction, while rattling or squealing sounds often mean loose washers or nuts. 

You’ll typically hear these sounds near appliances and fixtures. Washing machines and dishwashers are common culprits. Sinks, tubs, and showers can also make startling noises if the faucets don’t work correctly. 

You’ll likely need a plumber in Avoca, Indiana, to adjust or replace loose or damaged hardware. You might also need to replace your faucets if they are outdated. These fixes are often relatively quick and can bring peace and quiet to your home or business. 

Water Hammers

Can you hear startling bangs every time you turn on the tap? You might also hear a repetitive humming or knocking noise. Water hammers can cause these sounds as water flows or abruptly stops. 

A water hammer develops when water moves at full speed, only for a sudden supply cut to stop it in its tracks. The water collides with the supply, emitting a loud, startling bang. Fixing a water hammer is fairly simple — you can lower your water pressure and slowly cut the water supply. 

Misaligned or Damaged Pipes

Pipes don’t remain stationary throughout their lifespan. Just out of view, pipe expansion and contraction cyclically occur. Temperature fluctuations cause small but influential changes in size, and the water and atmospheric temperatures change. 

These shifts can eventually loosen the pipes from their connections. “Why do my pipes make noise?” you ask. Loose pipes can rattle or squeal as water flows through. If you hear these sounds, contact a plumber in Avoca, Indiana. They can tighten the loose pipes or replace damaged ones that can no longer serve your plumbing network.   

Excessive Water Pressure

Water pressure forces water through the pipes and into your fixtures. High water pressure can make the water run with uncomfortable force. You’ll likely feel it when you wash your hands or take a shower and hear a persistent buzzing sound. 

Most modern properties feature regulators that manage the pressure level. However, this technology sometimes malfunctions or is completely absent from older buildings. You can have a local plumber check and fix your regulator. 

Severe Blockages

“Why do my pipes make noise? And what’s that smell?”

Weird noises combined with off-putting smells sound like a drain blockage. All kinds of substances can get inside your fixture drains, especially if you don’t take precautions to limit the debris that slips through. Materials that build up in residential and commercial drains often include:

• Grease and oil: When oily substances cool, they can create a plug that fits perfectly into your drain. Collecting oil and grease in a container rather than letting it drip down the drain can make a big difference. 
• Thrown-away food: Rinsing food down the drain is a big no-no unless you have a garbage disposal. Even then, you should exercise caution about the food you let slip into the drain. Use a drain catcher to collect errant pieces of food when you rinse your dinnerware. 
• Shed hair and skin cells: The shower was made for convenient hygiene, but drains still aren’t meant to handle hair and skin buildup. Using a drain net can limit individual hairs that become scummy and entangled within the drain line.  
• Household products: When you shampoo your hair or use your favorite body wash, it also moves down the drain and can collect on other substances, especially if the products contain natural oils and fats.  
• Paper materials: Many property owners make the mistake of flushing paper towels, tissues, and flushable wipes down their toilets. However, these paper products are never flushable, even if the packaging says so. 
• Tree roots: Trees often grow toward moving water, even if the water in question is sealed inside a pipe. The roots may break into the pipe to access the moisture, resulting in a blockage. 
• Settled minerals: The water in Avoca, Indiana, is moderately hard, so minerals can attach to the pipe interior and exacerbate any blockage concerns. 

Flush your pipes monthly with boiling water and gentle dish soap to keep things moving. Schedule regular drain inspections to stay on top of your drainage system’s condition and handle any concerns before they grow into bigger issues. 

Trapped Air

We’ve already covered water hammers. Now, let’s explore their cousins: air hammers. 

Air bubbles collect in the joints of pipes, creating an air pocket. These pockets prevent sufficient water from moving through the pipes and cause a throttling noise as small amounts of water push through.

You can eliminate an air pocket by turning off your water supply. Then, turn each faucet on so any remaining water can exit the plumbing. After draining your supply lines, turn the water supply back on and allow the water wall to push all the air out.