Have you noticed banging or thumping noises behind the walls every time you flush the toilet? Before you get worried about ghosts haunting you, you may actually just need help from our Houston plumbing company. These banging noises are fairly common and simple to fix in most cases.
Should I call My Houston Plumbing Company for Banging and Thumping After Flushing the Toilet?
So, why do you hear banging after flushing the toilet? First, make sure it’s when you’re using your plumbing. If it happens constantly or when not using your water fixtures, this could be something not related to your plumbing system, such as air ducts or even pest problems. However, in most cases what you’re hearing in your home is hydraulic shock in your plumbing, also known as “water hammer.” If this is the case, your Houston plumbing company has quick, practical solutions to help reduce the noise.
What is Water Hammer?
Water hammer occurs when water smashes into a closed valve. Have you ever accidentally walked full-force into a glass door? It’s kind of like this. The force of hitting the closed plumbing valve can cause vibrations that create that thumping or banging sound you’re hearing. This may sound pretty innocuous, but these vibrations can also wreak havoc on your pipes. Long-term water hammer issues can damage your pipes, crack plumbing joints, or even detach pipes from the studs inside your walls. Therefore, it’s important to address the problem quickly unless you want to deal with water damage and re-piping services later down the line.
Water hammer can happen with any plumbing valve, such as automatic valves in your toilets, the manual valves you use when you turn faucet handles, or even solenoid valves that many washing machines and dishwashers use. The problem is, many of these valves close quite quickly, which can make the water hit the valve with a lot of pressure. If you think about it, the water supply to your home is under constant pressure. Otherwise, you would have to wait for water to flow after turning on a faucet. This pressure helps keep your plumbing working, but also means that quick-closing valves can cause water hammer and concerning sounds. Luckily, most modern plumbing systems use specialized components to address this problem. If you have an older plumbing system, talk to your Houston plumbing company about how to reduce the risk of water hammer in your home.
Do I need Houston Toilet Repair?
So, does that mean you need Houston toilet repair for water hammer? In some cases, it may make sense to replace the toilet valve with a slow-shutting valve. If you only notice water hammer for one particular toilet in your home, this may be an option. However, in many cases, this may only address part of the problem. If you suddenly notice water hammer, there are other options you can try before replacing toilet valves.
How Do You Fix Water Hammer?
Luckily, water hammer is often simple to fix. If the issue started suddenly, many times it’s because a little water infiltrated the plumbing air chamber or water hammer arrestor. These plumbing parts help cushion the pressure of water hammer. However, if water gets inside, they may not work properly. You may only need to drain the water to help fix water hammer in your home. Try the following steps when you hear banging pipes after using your fixtures:
- Turn off the water main to your home
- Turn on all the water faucets
- Flush all the toilets
- Run water appliances like the washing machine and dishwasher for a few minutes to drain
- Turn the water main back on
- Test the toilet to see if the banging continues
If this doesn’t do the trick and stop water hammer noises from your plumbing, then you’ll likely need to call your Houston plumbing company for help.
Have our Houston Plumbing Company Install Water Hammer Arrestors
However, if draining the water from your plumbing system doesn’t work, then this may indicate one of two things. First, if your home is older, your plumbing system may not have water arrestors. Instead, you may have air chambers, which operate on the same basic principles, but are more prone to water seeping into the chamber. If you need to drain the water frequently for water hammer, it’s often best to have your Houston plumber install water hammer arrestors.
These devices use a rubber diaphragm to keep the air separate from the water, even when absorbing the shock of water pressure from a quickly closing valve. While malfunctions are rare, they can still happen, which is another reason why you may need to call your Houston plumbing company for water hammer noises. In some cases, we may need to replace the arrestors in your system to help stop the banging noises.
Other Reasons Your Pipes May Be Banging
Also, it’s important to call your Houston plumber for banging noises you can’t resolve by draining your water lines because water hammer may not be the root problem. For example, valve malfunctions from worn valves or other issues can cause water hammer. In these cases, your Houston plumbing company will need to replace these parts to help resolve the issue.
In addition, excessive water pressure can also be a cause of water hammer that is difficult to resolve. If you have excessively high water pressure to your home, this can not only cause strange noises, it can also damage pipes, plumbing fixtures, and more. In many cases, this means you need a pressure reducer valve installed for your water lines.
Loose pipes can also cause similar noises to water hammer. Your pipes are connected to studs and other solid areas inside your walls with small straps. If these straps come loose, the pipes can vibrate and knock together. Your Houston plumber can reattach these straps and also inspect the pipes for any damages from coming loose.
Call Your Expert Houston Plumbing Company for Simple, Affordable Service
At Santhoff Plumbing Company, we are a leading Houston plumbing company offering expert plumbing services for homes and commercial buildings. Since 1974, we’ve been helping the greater Houston area by providing friendly, affordable solutions for all your plumbing needs. As a family owned and operated company, we guarantee your satisfaction. Whether you need Houston toilet repair or need new gas lines installed for an outdoor kitchen, our plumbing experts are here for you. Call us today at (713) 360-2185 to schedule service or our 24/7 line at (713) 360-2185 for emergency plumbing repairs. We are here to serve you.
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