The time has come to test your plumbing noise knowledge. Below are five questions about common household plumbing noises that should not be ignored. Do you know what causes them?
1. You hear a singular banging, knocking, clunking or clanging noise when you turn off the water in your sink. This is called:
A. water lock.
B. water bump.
C. water hammer.
D. water horse.
E. time to get your ears checked.
2. You flush the toilet and you hear what sounds like a chattering or rattling sound. A common reason for this is:
A. a leaky tank.
B. a faulty toilet ballcock.
C. air in the plumbing lines.
D. a loose tank lid.
E. a ghost in your bathroom.
3. A loose or damaged faucet washer can sound like:
A. popping popcorn.
B. fluttering or humming.
C. bells or chimes.
D. burping.
E. a buzzer.
4. When a dishwasher or washing machine is filling with water, you hear a hammering or machine-gun-like sound. This can be caused by:
A. too low water pressure.
B. loose bolts and/or screws.
C. a kink in a hose
D. a worn out solenoid fill valve.
E. an actual hammer or machine gun.
5. You hear what sounds like like on-again-off-again running water coming from a toilet. This is most likely caused by:
A. a leaking flush valve
B. a leaking pressure gauge
C. a loose handle
D. clogged pipes
E. global warming
THE ANSWERS
Question #1: You hear a singular banging, knocking, clunking or clanging noise when you turn off the water in your sink. This is called:
C. water hammer
Water hammer occurs when you turn OFF a water flow suddenly (like a hand faucet, a dishwasher, a clothes washer, or even a toilet), which abruptly sends a pressure or shock wave down the water line through the water shocking the pipes and creating the ‘hammer’ noise. These shock waves can exert great instantaneous pressure, which over time, can damage pipes, valves and eventually weaken pipe joints.
Most modern homes have devices called water hammer arresters (sometimes also called air chambers, air cushions, water capacitors, etc.), which are air filled chambers connected to the plumbing that let the pressure wave dissipate harmlessly into a cushion of air. If your banging has been going on for as long as you can remember, you may not have a water hammer arrester. If the noise is new or has developed over time, your arrester may have become waterlogged.
Water hammer doesn’t accompany flowing water, so if your sound occurs while water is running, it isn’t water hammer.
Question #2. You flush the toilet and you hear what sounds like a chattering or rattling sound. A common reason for this is:
B. a faulty toilet ballcock.
A faulty toilet ballcock, or fill valve, can cause reverb sounds like these. High pressure can sometimes cause strange noises and can damage toilet valves and other devices connected to the plumbing. That’s why it is best to get strange toilet sounds checked out before you end up with a major repair on your hands.
Question #3. A loose or damaged faucet washer can sound like:
B. fluttering or humming.
If you only hear this sound when using a certain faucet, the faucet washer might be loose or damaged. This can cause it to vibrate in the water stream, resulting in a fluttering or humming sound, or even rattling, bleating, whistling or moaning. If you have had this problem serviced in the not-too-distant past and it has come back (or didn’t go away), it may be the result of using a third party replacement part instead of the manufacturers recommended parts. A good plumber will be sure to use the proper replacement parts for your faucet. We at Curtis Total Service always make repairs using the proper parts, and we can find the parts for just about any make or model out there.
Question #4. When a dishwasher or washing machine is filling with water, you hear a hammering or machine-gun-like sound. This can be caused by:
D. a worn out solenoid fill valve.
If you turn on your dishwasher or clothes washer and, while it is filling with water, a repetitive hammering or machine-gun-like sound comes out, it might well be due to a worn out solenoid fill valve. Sometimes high water pressure can be the cause too.
(Back to top.)
Question #5. You hear what sounds like like on-again-off-again running water coming from a toilet. This is most likely caused by:
A. a leaking flush valve
The repeated and intermittent sounds of water running for a few seconds then stopping usually means you have a leaking flush valve in your toilet. Depending upon the condition of the valve, you may hear this occur from every few minutes to just once every several hours or so.
Tell us how you scored in the comments below!
Whether you scored high or low marks on this quiz, we hope you choose Curtis Total Service for your plumbing service. We are proud of our professional, courteous and knowledgeable staff. Check out our website for more details about our complete plumbing services. Or call us toll-free at 1-855-SEND-CURTIS.
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