Chicago Plumbing 101: Why Pipes Make Noise & How To Fix It
Are you experiencing noisy water pipes in your home on Chicago’s Northwest Side? Is there a banging you’re hearing? A rattling? Or maybe a gurgling sound coming from your walls? No matter what it happens to be you can depend on the licensed and insured Chicago plumbers from Vanguard Plumbing & Sewer to help you find the problem and fix it fast. That’s the easiest way to deal with noisy pipes but you can try to handle it yourself too!
To assist you in that mission, we’ve put together this article outlining the most common noises you might hear coming from your Chicago pipes and the steps you can take to try to mitigate or stop the noises once and for all. But remember, if none of these work for you all you have to do is call Vanguard at (773) 633-6139 for the highest rated residential plumbing services in Chicago!
The Most Common Noisy Pipe Causes On Chicago’s Northwest Side
While your Northwest Side home’s plumbing system can make some odd-sounding noises, most of these come from normal operation going a bit haywire and do not represent a threat to your home or its plumbing system. However, there are times when the noises are so loud that it might be best to go ahead and call Vanguard before you try any of these plumbing solutions. The time you save scheduling service right away might be money you save in the long run.
Okay, so we’ve covered the fact that you can always count on Vanguard Plumbing & Sewer’s five-star rated plumbers for plumbing solutions that match your needs and budget. Now let’s dive into the sounds your pipes could be making and how you can go about addressing them before you choose to call on Vanguard. These include all of the following:
- Pipes Are Rattling: Anytime your Northwest Side home’s pipes are rattling it’s a sure sign that something is amiss. While there can be a variety of causes, most of the time this type of rattling noise is being driven by either of two things – water hammer action or loose pipe fittings. First let’s explain what water hammer action is all about. That’s when you shut off a tap and the pressurized water hits the closed valve. There should be cavities inside the pipes to deflect this hammering effect but sometimes they’re not installed correctly or the air pressure in the pipe is too low.
- Rattling Pipe Solution: The solution to a rattling noise coming from your Chicago plumbing pipes depends on the cause. If it’s a fitting issue just tighten the fitting that came loose. If it’s water hammer action shut off the water to your home and turn on all taps. This should drain your lines of water and allow air to enter the system. This will revitalize the air pressure in the cavity and stop the rattling sound. If not, call Vanguard Plumbing & Sewer at (773) 633-6139 for immediate assistance!
- Pipes Are Banging: There are few things more annoying than banging pipes in your Northwest Chicago home. We should know having helped hundreds of homeowners across Chicago find and solve their banging pipe problem. In our experience, this is almost always caused by water hammer action. As described above, this happens when the air pressure inside the air chamber becomes insufficient to block the water flow from the valve. It can be jarring to hear and can even take a toll on your plumbing system – especially the joints and seals in the affected area.
- Banging Pipe Solution: Just as we instructed for a rattling pipe issue the solution for a banging noise coming from your pipes centers on clearing the plumbing system’s lines of water and infusing them with air. This should bring back the necessary pressure to the air chamber to keep the flow of water from causing the hammering. As this is the primary cause of this type of pipe noise on Chicago’s Northwest Side that should solve your noise problem for good. If it doesn’t you can call the team from Vanguard Plumbing & Sewer at (773) 633-6139 for a definite solution to your banging pipes.
- Pipes Are Gurgling: Of all the noises your pipes can make this one is the easiest to diagnose. Why? Because there’s only one thing that can cause a gurgling noise inside your pipes – a clog. See, when a clog is forming it’s not always a complete blockage of the pipe. Oftentimes the blockage begins as debris stuck to one side of the pipe which then grabs more and more detritus from the flow of water. Eventually it’s blocking a portion of the pipe and that causes a gurgling noise as the water passes from one side to the other. It’s the same thing that happens when you tip a two-liter bottle of soda over. That glug-glug action can happen in your pipes too.
- Gurgling Pipe Solution: There are a lot of ways to deal with gurgling pipes but the vast majority of those are best left to a plumber – like the experienced professionals from Vanguard. You can try to use homemade drain cleaners but they’re not going to get into the pipes themselves. We don’t recommend using harsh chemicals either because you have no idea what they could do to your pipes. That’s why, when push comes to shove, we recommend calling (773) 633-6139 for a visit from the pipe and drain plumbers from Vanguard Plumbing & Sewer.
If Noisy Plumbing Pipes Are Getting To You Just Call (773) 633-6139!
While we’re confident our tips should help you solve minor issues that might be causing your noisy pipes, we can guarantee that our top-rated Northwest Side residential service plumbers can do it and at a price that’s both honest and completely transparent. Call today or submit a contact form to discuss your noisy pipes with one of our dedicated plumbing professionals and schedule the best time for an estimate and the Chicago plumbing services you need!