way off topic: banging pipes in my house

[Mark R]

This can happen if the water pressure is too high, or if there is a faulty valve which is vibrating under the pressure.

Usually, you can improve matters by reducing the pressure by closing the main cock slightly. However, a more permanent solution would be checking if the correct pressure reducers have been installed for your toilet or any other appliances that cause the banging.

I had this problem suddenly develop with my Toilet. I bodged it by reducing the pressure, but I cured it by taking the fill valve in the toilet apart and cleaning out some grit. Once reassembled, the pipes were perfect.

 

[Davegod75]

Take the toilet out of the equation by closing the shut off valve. Do you still have the problem ?

yes

 

[Davegod75]

I'm buying a water pressure gauge to hook up to the outside bib today. I'll test it and get back to this post.

 

[iGas]

ok, I didn't mention this before because I honestly didn't think it was related but now I'm wondering.

The pipe(s) banging is nearest to a toilet where I recently had to replace all the internals. The stuff in the tank doesn't have a float ball and is one of those newer kind of fill thingys (this one http://www.amazon.com/Fluidmaster-40...2442050&sr=8-5). Anyways, I'm thinking the banging started after I did all that work. However, I didn't think it was related because we can turn the water on from anywhere and it bangs.

Is there something I should check with all of inside toilet tank stuff to make sure I didn't do something wrong?

FYI, i even had to replace the fill tank connection and it still drips a bit of water every once and while....cannot it to stop no matter how tight it make it.

It could be reverberating fill tube valve in the toilet, a defective part such as weak spring.

A likely possibility is lose stop valve (shut off valve) under the toilet that connect the 3/8" supply tube to toilet tank. Open this valve fully and test to check for banging noise. Shut off water main, flush toilet, and take off valve stem by undo the bonnet nut and check/replace the lose valve seat gasket.

If the defect part is by the toilet.

If the pipe bang when open any fixture in the house, it then be the water main that is the culprit. I wouldn't play around with the PRV (could be the spring that is failing), unless you have a pressure test gauge to reset the spring.

Good luck!

Got eyes surgery 48 hours ago and can't see well, sorry spelling/typing errors.

 

[Davegod75]

It could be reverberating fill tube valve in the toilet, a defective part such as weak spring.

A likely possibility is lose stop valve (shut off valve) under the toilet that connect the 3/8" supply tube to toilet tank. Open this valve fully and test to check for banging noise. Shut off water main, flush toilet, and take off valve stem by undo the bonnet nut and check/replace the lose valve seat gasket.

If the defect part is by the toilet.

If the pipe bang when open any fixture in the house, it then be the water main that is the culprit. I wouldn't play around with the PRV (could be the spring that is failing), unless you have a pressure test gauge to reset the spring.

Good luck!

Got eyes surgery 48 hours ago and can't see well, sorry spelling/typing errors.

it happens with any open fixture in the house. Gauge is ordered and on it's way.

 

[iGas]

it happens with any open fixture in the house. Gauge is ordered and on it's way.

Install expansion tank as I suggested, before commencing work on the PRV. Quick turning on & off water valve can create water hammer (much more of a problem with dishwasher/clothe washer, as well as single handle water faucets).

Check pressure gauge and make sure that the house pressure are under 80psi, It is possible that every fixture valve has failed due to high water pressure. Fixture valves are design to withstand pressure up to 100psi, some cheaper models are up to 90psi. But, they can all fail at lower pressure due to age.

Check and replace valve seats of bathroom basin first and see if the gasket are the culprit.

 

[feralkid]

also check that you have a correctly installed stack. You need proper air pressure behind water to make things work correctly.

Say Wot?

 

[JimW1949]

I suppose it could be a bad valve, but it has been my experience over the years that when a valve goes bad it starts leaking. I imagine a valve could go bad in such a way that it could cause fluctuations in the water flow, but I tend to think that is not the problem. I tend to think it is air in pipes but I am at a loss to tell you how to get rid of it. Normally you would just shut off the water main in your basement, then you turn on the faucets one at a time and you run the water from that faucet until no more air comes out of it. Then you do it to the next faucet, and the next, and so on until you have removed the air from all the pipes. But if you have already done that then I am not sure what to tell you other than you may need to contact a licensed plumber for advice.

A lot of good advice has been suggested here, but in your particular situation I am not sure any of the good advice given here is correct. What I mean is, things like loose pipe straps, or no pipe straps, they can definitely cause a problem like this. But if you didn't have this problem before, and the problem just recently started, then I have to think pipe straps isn't the problem. On the other hand, if you had this problem continually since the house was built, then I would say pipe straps could very well be the problem.

 

[Davegod75]

just got my rain bird water pressure gauge. I hooked it up to my backyard water bib, and it said my water pressure is 90psi! Should I lower it via the PRV?

 

[iGas]

Most lawn sprinkler water line connection is connect straight to the outside water main before the PRV for the needed high pressure.

Check an a known hose bib that is protect by the PRV to get proper pressure in the house (drain connection, washer connection, hot water tank drain valve, etc....)

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

just got my rain bird water pressure gauge. I hooked it up to my backyard water bib, and it said my water pressure is 90psi! Should I lower it via the PRV?

90 psi is high. Recommended is 60 psi. A little higher won't hurt.

 

[Davegod75]

Most lawn sprinkler water line connection is connect straight to the outside water main before the PRV for the needed high pressure.

Check an a known hose bib that is protect by the PRV to get proper pressure in the house (drain connection, washer connection, hot water tank drain valve, etc....)

my PRV valve is before the split off for the front and back hose bibs. Anyone know which way to turn the screw to lower pressure? Left?

 

[iGas]

I think it is counter clockwise to lower pressure. There should be direction indication marking on top of the PRV tag.

Leave the pressure gauge connected and open a faucet a second to release the pressure as after a full turn. Recheck the pressure gauge for change in pressure. Readjust as needed. Also check the lawn sprinkler system to make sure that there is enough pressure for coverage.

 

[HeXen]

it can also happen when a murdered corpse is buried underneath your house and their ghost is ticked off. Tell the cops what you did to your wife and the noises will go away...its ok, we've all wanted to do itbefore.

 

[Iron Woode]

Say Wot?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbing_vent

 

[NascarFool]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbing_vent

Iron Woode, that's a sewer vent. No vent on the water system. It sounds like the problem is the PRV. It's not air. Air is removed when you open the faucets. It does not stay "stuck" in the lines.

 

[iGas]

Iron Woode, that's a sewer vent. No vent on the water system. It sounds like the problem is the PRV. It's not air. Air is removed when you open the faucets. It does not stay "stuck" in the lines.

It is possible to have an air bubble trap at a bad solder join or flaw in water line. It then create turbulent and most of the time will be a high pitch whine, but sometime baning noise as the bubble bounce around.

 

[NascarFool]

It is possible to have an air bubble trap at a bad solder join or flaw in water line. It then create turbulent and most of the time will be a high pitch whine, but sometime baning noise as the bubble bounce around.

Must be a huge water line and one hell of a hard bubble. Trust me, air is removed from the pipes rather quickly when the faucets are opened. Most houses in the U.S.A. are 1/2" or 3/4". No room for a bubble to "bounce" around. In my 20 years of HVAC/plumbing I have never heard of air being trapped in domestic water lines.

 

[iGas]

....

 

[Davegod75]

I think it is counter clockwise to lower pressure. There should be direction indication marking on top of the PRV tag.

Leave the pressure gauge connected and open a faucet a second to release the pressure as after a full turn. Recheck the pressure gauge for change in pressure. Readjust as needed. Also check the lawn sprinkler system to make sure that there is enough pressure for coverage.

my tag is stamped with SET STD = 50 PSI. Range 25-75.

I may try venting the system one more time because last time I did it the air was rushing out of the back bib for like 5 minutes...so hard that it was whistling. If that doesn't work, I'll lower the pressure with a few turns.