You’re leisurely hanging out at home on a weekend afternoon, trying to accomplish one of many simple daily tasks – taking a shower, washing the dishes, flushing the toilet – when suddenly, you hear it… a noise which definitely does not belong in your home, in your walls or in your pipes. And much like pretending you don’t hear that hideous grinding sound coming from the brakes of your car, ignorance never means bliss when it comes to potential water damage in your home.
This month, we explore the sounds you need to listen for in your home or at work to prevent extensive – and expensive – plumbing and home repairs down the line.
Shaking
If you hear loud shaking or rattling in your pipes, there is likely an issue with your mounting straps. After loosening over time, they can often cause notable shaking in your pipes, which can be fixed by simply tightening the straps or replacing the worn parts altogether.
Gurgling
Unless it’s mouthwash, chances are that hearing any kind of gurgling in your home is a sign of unfortunate news. There are typically two scenarios that cause gurgling noises in your drain: 1) it is clogged, and therefore blocking water from flowing appropriately, or 2) there is an issue with the drain vents. If the gurgling noise happens with more than one drain in your home, often times you’re dealing with issue #2. To prevent air bubbles, drains must be properly vented. Get them replaced with our help, and problem solved!
Banging
Most often caused by a closed valve stopping rushing water from moving further down a pipe, banging noises are appropriately referred to as a ‘water hammer.’ Not only does this noise indicate damage to pipes, but it can loosen joints as the air chambers in pipe valves become clogged with water. Call us on 1300 025 116 to replace or clear your damaged parts or inspect your home for loose-fitting pipes.
Hissing
If you’ve noticed a recent increase in your water bill in conjunction with a distinct hissing noise, it could be an indication that your water pressure is too high. Get your bill – and showers – back to normal by allowing us to install a pressure regulator to ensure the PSI remains within normal levels.
Screeching
If you hear a high-pitched screeching noise when turning on a faucet, or before the water begins to flow out, this could be the result of a damaged or loose part of the faucet itself. We recommend replacing your faucet to ensure the issue does not cause more damage.
Rumbling
If ever there’s a rumbling sound coming from your water heater, the heater has likely built up unwanted sediment over time, causing an increase in your water bill and decrease in overall effectiveness. To sum up, it’s a lose-lose situation.
Vibrating
Noisy vibration from the wall behind your toilet often indicates a further issue. If you feel vibrations when lifting the toilet valve arm, you may need to replace the fill valve, as they tend to become damaged, dried out or broken over time.
Whistling
Last but not least, whistling noises in your toilet pipe could indicate a leak in the toilet’s fill valve. To fix, try adjusting the valve by hand, or contacting us for an inspection and further assistance.
Hearing noises in your home that aren’t ghost-related? You know who to call! Give our highly qualified and experienced team at Jeff MacDonald Plumbing a ring today on 1300 025 116 to address your plumbing issues.
