Pipes Make Noise When Toilet Flushes

Do your pipes make a noise when your toilet is flushed? You may not know this, but it happens to many people. You are not alone. There are a few reasons as to why your pipes may be making a noise when you flush your toilet. Berkeys, a Dallas plumbing, electrical and HVAC repair service, has recommended the most common causes and fixes, detailed below.

Have You Ever Heard of Water Hammer?

Water hammer is a term to describe when your pipes are making a noise. It is the most common cause of the noise that you are hearing. It may sound like something hard to fix, but it really is not as hard as one would think. Before we get started on a fix, let’s go over what it is.

What Is Water Hammer?

Water hammer is when the water in your pipes changes direction. This usually occurs suddenly when it happens. Have you ever turned off your faucet and then heard the pipes making noise? Maybe it sounded like a loud thud? That is water hammer, and it can be fixed. But what happens if you do not fix it?

Should You Fix Water Hammer?

You are probably considering leaving the noise alone. If all it is is a thud, then why should you get it fixed, right? Wrong. You should still consider fixing it. You may not have any damage now, but over time water hammer can cause damage to your pipes. Think big leaks. No one wants that!

You can read more on water hammer at The Balance if you are interested in learning a little more about the common causes of water hammer and some other ways that people try to fix the problem.

How To Fix Water Hammer?

Now that you have a little knowledge of water hammer and what may cause it, let’s go over some of the basic steps to fix it. For the most part, the fix is really simple. You may be thinking that you will have to do some work in the crawl space or under your mobile home. No worries; the process is a bit more simple than that. You will be glad to know it is just a short process too.

Drain All Your Pipes’ Water Hammer Problems Away

It is time to do some draining. The best way to get rid of water hammer and the possible damage that it may be doing to your pipes is to empty the air chambers. Did you know that your pipes are made with air chambers throughout so they can take the shock of the sudden pressure of water hammer?

Steps To Getting Rid Of Water Hammer:

• Drain your pipes of all water. You can do this by turning off the power to your well or city water at the meter box. This should be a simple step. Once the water is off, you should open up a faucet and drain the water out. It should sputter a bit until the water is no longer coming through the pipes.
• Once all of the pipes have been drained, you can turn off the faucet and then turn the water meter back on. Once back inside, you can turn on a faucet and allow the pipes to fill with water.
• Do a quick check to see if the air chambers have air in them and are doing what they should, then you can flush the toilet.

With Everything Done, You Can Now Rest

Once the pipes have been drained and refilled and you flush the toilet for a quick check, you should be done. You will know if this did not work. If you flush the toilet and there was still noise, then this did not fix the issue. If you no longer hear the noise, then you are all finished.

What Should You Do If The Noise Is Still There?

Try to replace the inside parts of your toilet. This will take a little time if you have never done it. It is a simple job, but not fun. Which chores are meant for fun really? Once that has been changed and the pipe has been drained, the problem should be solved. If you still hear the pipes making noise, then you may want to call a professional.

For more information on water hammer and how to resolve the issue, you can visit SFGate’s Home Guides.

I hope that you found a solution to your noisy pipe issue. Hopefully, it can be resolved with the easy steps above. For more information about water hammer, you can check out this YouTube video.