Is it code that copper plumbing for fresh water be stationed in some way as it travels through holes cut out in framing to keep it from bouncing off framing and making noises? GW
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
The "She Build" initiative is empowering women in Seattle, WA by ensuring they have safe, healthy homes.
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
I won't speak to code greg, but many plumbers will "shim" the pipe in the hole b/4 soldering to hold in place. Tight holes/shims after the plumbing is run will cause noise as the hot expands. Once up to temp, noise disappears. Agravating and a sure call back.
__________________________________________
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Calvin,
I went up in the attic today to look around. This house built by Centex is 11 months old. The basic warranty is up at the end of this month. Some of the copper pipes, (I looked mostly at the hot lines) are touching the sides of the framing that they were drilled through. Some of the pipes are sitting on the ceiling joists. No space underneath them. Some of the hot/cold lines are stationed laterally with a 16 penny nail on each side of the pipe. No where are there any "butt bumpers" around where the pipes go through the lumber. We are hearing loud banging sounds late at night, starting around 11pm going on until 6am. They are not the sounds one would hear like the popping, cracking sounds of lumber cooling down. They are intermittant through the night. Any other possibilities? We also have sprinkler lines (PVC) sitting on the ceiling joists. GW
Edited 3/9/2003 4:41:58 PM ET by Greg Warren
The hot lines when first turned on that are bound up will pop, not sure what's making the noise but it's either the wood or the pipe. As soon as it's up to temp (outta the faucet) it usually stops. The other noise you might hear could be water hammer, but again that usually occurs during use or just after the water is shut off at the faucet. Can be caused by a too high pressure coming in. Do you have a circulator to keep the hot moving to remote faucets?
?__________________________________________
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
I have turned the circulator on 24/7 today to see if the sounds go away as a test. Many of the hot lines are not in their insulated jackets. Some of the lines have a 16 penny nail on each side of them to hold them in place. GW
So was the circulator on when you heard the noise? No insul. on the hot side w/circulator, well there's heat loss out the window.__________________________________________
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
The circ was not on at night , only 5am to 9am.
I wonder if natural convection isn't circulating the water in the loop and it still is the pipe expansion on the hot side. or not.
You'll have to get a wave file played on here, maybe someone can pick it out from the noise. You know how hard it is when you take the car in........"I hear this ticking noise"?__________________________________________
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
The plumbing contractor will be in for some timely repairs on Monday morning. The insulation will have to be pulled back on one side to get a clean view of the situation, then the other side. Thanks for your comments. GW
Greg, PVC water lines in your attic??
I don't remember where you are located but PVC within a structure is not code approved in Florida. Too much of a chance for failure due to aging and deteriorization of the PVC. Now, if you meant CPVC, then OK, that's a viable material.
As for the ongoing noise, it's posible that the piping has expanded during use and was slowly pushed into a binding position at several points which are randomly releasing throughout the night, rebinding and releasing again.
Greg, one job I was on, owners had bought an old home, the pressure regulator was only 4-5 years old, the Plumber replaced the pressure regulator, noise went away. Are your utilities running uphill to your home? , for there might be an air lock bouncing around. Though, what I would be concered about are the dissimiliar metals touching one another, for in my humble opinion, that will cause someone some trouble with premature failure, ie nails holding copper plumbing runs in place. Best of Luck, Jim J
The PVC is orange in color if that means anything on the sprinkler system. The utilities run downhill.
While a pipe cooling off or heating up can make a ticking, cracking, or poping noice as it changes temp I can't believe that would continue for hours.
I think that it is shockwaves caused by sudden changes in pressure. Now know what you have in your house it might be. It is possible that these are going on during other times, but during the normal actives it is not notices.
A. leaking toliet that allows the tank to drain down and the the fill vavle operate and then sudden shuts off.
B. An ice maker or humidifier cycling. However, these are such low flow device that they should not cause hammer.
C. Something happening outside of the house with the water supply.
D. The water supply has from the main has a checkbvalve, backflow preventor, or pressure regulator that prevents any backflow from the house. There is no expansion tank on the water heater and when heater goes through it's cycle the water pressure builds up and the safety pops off.
Something coming from outside the home at night would be unusal unless you are near someking of processing plant that uses large quanities of water at night. And that is the only thing that I can think that would cause large shockwaves.
The other kinds of things that I can think of would only cause very little shock waves and the noise is caused by loose pipes.
Larger shockwaves can be caused by things like clothes washers and dishwashers and maybe the sprinkler valves. Those problems are best solved with sealed hammer arrestors (not just stub pipes) near the source of the problem.
Again, thanks for the replies. GW
My house has plastic spacer grommets that go between the copper pipe and the wood. If the holes are big enough, they can be put in after the fact because they're split grommets.
-- J.S.