Periodic But Persistent Banging Noises

[SteveAZ]

The master bathroom in my two year-old house is situated in a corner of the house where the underground utilities (e.g., water and gas) enter from underground. It is within the walls of the master bath that I hear periodic banging/knocking sounds, but I have not yet successfully pinpointed the source. The banging comes and goes and ranges from a barely audible knock to a very loud popping sound. I initially thought this was attributed to water hammer, but it does not occur right when I turn a faucet on/off. Moreover, the banging still occurred when I shut off the master water valve and drained all water pipes in the house.

Any ideas on cause as I do not know what type of technician to call on this problem. Thanks!

[Jasper]

* A house settleing creates popping noises when it moves, all of a sudden, to a new level, usually a fraction of an inch.
* Depending on soil conditions, it may only make the sounds at different locations of the house.
* You may also have a sewer break just under the toilet/Tub/Shower under the slab. This softens the soil and creates condition whereby that area of the house sinks.
* Call a plumber and have him check that there are no leaks in the sewer. They’ll put a balloon where the sewer leaves the house to stopup the sewer pipe, flush the toilets until the sewer pipe fills up. They’ll mark the level of the water then recheck after a period of time. If there’s a leak, the water level will go down. They can then run a television camara through the pipe to locate the leak.
* Been there, done that…
* Good luck… Adios… Jasper…

Jasper Castillo

[homebild]

Sounds more like pipe expansion and contraction, especially for PVC drain pipes.

It is very common.

As water flows through supplies and drains the pipes expand and contract with the temperature changes.

If the pipes are installed through holes in framing members that are too small or are fastened with straps or brackets that are too tight, the pipes will rub during expansion and contraction and will make sounds from slight ticking to loud banging.

The noises will continue after water has been turned off or run as it takes a while for the pipes to either cool or warm back to ambient temperature.

The noises can also occur in pipes with no water running as they adjust to changes in air temperature and can even occur with humidity changes as the framing lumber swells and shrinks with moisture content.

It’s probably nothing you should worry about and is a very common and harmless albeit annoying situation.

[Author]

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