Noise in pipes

[Andrew Nicholls]

There is of course another possibility:
It is quite possible the sound is simply being 'carried' along the pipework from a source totally unrelated to 'water hammer', as such. If you get along well with your neighbours- when you hear the noise next- put your ear to their garden taps. Same noise? Louder or more frequent? or Softer and less frequent? Is the noise only in your pipes? If you follow this train of thought and answer these questions you will go a long way to solving your puzzle. Water and water pipes will transfer some sounds a surprising distance. Well it's worth a try anyway. Maybe your noise is the dog next door; scratching fleas whilst under the house leaning against the pipes for support. Hey Don't Laugh- stranger things have been known to happen!!

Good Luck.

PS No I'm not - but that's only because I haven't got any beers left in the fridge!!

Cheers!:confused:

[antman]

Not sure if this will help but....

I had a chat to the water and sewer boys here at Council and they tell me that often the stop cock where you connect your water to the mains has a leather washer. This washer will degrade over time particularily as it oscillates up and down with water flow. The boys suggested getting that changed as they tend to vibrate due to fluctuations in the mains line and even though you have no water flowing through into your property.

They also suggested that, less common, the meter non-return valve can 'rattle' due to fluctuations in pressure etc.

Just a couple of thoughts...

Anthony

[Arron]

Well I relented and called a plumber. It didnt sound very hopeful though - the first thing he said was 'yeah I have that at home too, it drives me mad'. He is coming on Friday - says he will do his best but doesnt have high hopes of finding the problem.

The water is currently off due to the hole in a pipe (subject of other post from me). After he fixes that it will be interesting to see if the frequency/volume of the knocking has changed.

Thanks for all your ideas anyway.
Arron

[Big Mac]

I had this problem in the pipes in our house, i asked my brother who is a plumber,who said to sqeeze the washer shaft with pliers so the shaft is firm in the spigot. IT solved our noise problem.Try it .its acheep way out. Big Mac

[robchronos]

Sorry to resurrect this 4 year old thread, but I'm wondering if you ever solved your knocking problem? The reason I ask is I'm dealing with the exact same issue and it has me stumped

[bricks]

Sometimes float valves in your toliet cisterns can make this noise if they dont shut off compleatly. How to fix- Make the float lower so that the cistern doesn't fill up to the overflow pipe- take the lid off the cistern if its at the level of the overflow in the center then it has to come down a bit.

Otherwise check as much of the line as you can for something baning against it ( gate, fence panel, etc)

Disconnect the washing machine too- don't know why but they often cause strange water hammer type stuff due to the solenoid valves inside.