Are you in Albuquerque experiencing banging or knocking noises around your water pipes?

No house annoyance is worse than knocking water pipes. You tolerate it for a bit and eventually, the more frequent or intense it becomes, it will just annoy you, there’s no alternative.

There are a number of reasons that water pipes can knock and it helps to know what to do when they begin so you will be able to call on reputable plumbing services to get them repaired before anything substantial is damaged. Water pipes banging around in your walls is not something that shouldn’t be addressed; here’s what you need to know!

Know What Causes Water Pipes Knocking Before You Fix It

It is important to recognize whose causes could be leading to a loud knocking sound in your plumbing pipes to know if an issue exists at all, and what that issue is.

This “knocking” sound is actually water expanding and contracting within the pipes, which may be made of metal or plastic, in your house. As water runs through a pipe it will heat up or cool down, expanding or contracting as a result.

Water Hammer

This is referred to as water hammer because the noise created by these fluctuations is similar to the beating of a drum. Though this is an occurrence in any house with running water, some houses are more susceptible to it depending on the location of the water pipes within the house, how old they are and of what kind.

If you only hear a noise when you stop the running water and not while the water runs, your pipes could be in trouble.

Air chambers are present in home construction prior to 1960. Air chambers are tubes within tubes shaped like T’s, and they contain air. But, water can displace air in a given space over time.

Those with air chambers can drain the plumbing of water and fill it with such. Water hammer arresters need to be installed in homes built in 1960. These are the new, replacement product for air chambers. It employs springs, but is almost never a failure.

Here are some other problems that may exist with your home plumbing system:

High Water Pressure

Water pipe knocking is often caused by high water pressure. If the water pressure is very strong, the pipe might tremble even though it is fixed on the walls. If you are this was true then you will know to when the sounds are only when the water is running. But, it is usually a soft tapping sound, instead of a full knock.

For instance, if someone has just used a water hose in the backyard means there is more water rushing through the pipes and this can lead to an energy accumulation – this sudden because water has nowhere to go. That excess energy can sometimes work itself out in other areas of the house’s plumbing system, and you may hear knocking noises from your water pipes.

The water pressure is 60-80 psi. In general, the cold water pressures are above 80 psi and it will be necessary to use a pressure reducer. Hot water might assist in reducing the temperature a few degrees. If it doesn’t, you should consider installing a heat expansion tank. It cushions your pipes against pressure and protects them.

Loose Supply Pipes

The water supply pipes in the bathroom can become loose over time. The water flowing in the loose pipes makes them hit their own walls and it’s kind of noise that you get when you knock. Problems only occur if the water actually runs, and if the banging noise stops when shutting down the water, that’s a good sign there’s a leakage.

Loose supply pipes may rattle, banging against other objects in your home, or may bang against each other, a condition known as water hammer that may cause your water pipes to knock.

When you are able to reach the pipe, do not over-tighten it to the point that it is prone to expand or contract from alterations to water temperature.

Are Knocking Pipes a Serious Problem?

Though it can be irritating when water pipes make banging noises occasionally, water hammer should never be ignored. Noise from running or stopping water is normally a transient nuisance, only lasting one or two weeks.

If knocking sounds are still present either when no water is flowing or even when there is water in the pipes, then there’s probably a problem with your home’s plumbing design. If not fixed, this may result in plumbing service repairs or replacement later on.

Here are a few indications that it might be time for you to have expert plumbers check your water pipes:

• The sound of banging when flushing toilets or drinking from faucets
• Noises of creaking associated with turning on a supply of water
• Pipes produce a hissing sound when hot water is on its way to a faucet
• Noise when hot water is running somewhere in the house
• Sounds after shutting off the cold or hot water supply
• Sounds occurring while running cold water
• Banking pipes heard at all hours, day or night

How Can I Fix My Knocking Water Pipes?

In many instances, knocking pipes are caused by loose plumbing pipe elbows or valves that aren’t entirely open or shut throughout your home.

The base of the pipe may, in some cases, be vibrating against another surface due to air pockets between the two surfaces. If none of these reasons affect, you may also be in need of new plumbing. Most of these issues, but, can be resolved without the help of a plumber.

Check Your Valves

If the banging noise originates in a water supply pipe, ensure that all faucets and valves are completely open. If that does not resolve the problem, increase the water pressure to your home by turning up the main valve to your property. This will tend to eliminate excess bubbling or gurgling sounds from the air chambers due to low rates of water flow.

Sometimes, you’ll need to replace pipes that are old and found on outside walls where they are subject to extreme temperatures when temperatures are warm for a season.

Loose valves or elbow fittings are usually the culprit for the clanging noises when water begins to run through a pipe anywhere else in your house; check and tighten the loose fittings or replace them if necessary . Repainting over previously established rust spots in internal piping can also minimize random noises from water hammers.

Check Your Water Heater

The most common cause of banging noise when no water is running in the most is sediment build-up inside the water heater. The sounds may be loud enough for the echoes to make it appear as if the knocking sound is inside the wall pipes.

The sound is the steam bubbles releasing from the consolidated sludge on the bottom of the water heater tank. It is like boiling water on the stove with the lid on; the water steam pushing up forces the peak of the lid upwards. If water isn’t flowing, flushing your water heater may eliminate these sounds.

Need Your Plumbing Pipes Checked by Expert Albuquerque Plumbers?

Ready to eliminate that knocking sound for good?

Contact your national home service specialists at Day & Night Plumbing. Our certified plumbers are here to help bring your plumbing back to a clean state.

Call our plumbers today at 505-974-5797!