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gselliott

Hi, each time a tap is turned on or toilet flushed anywhere in the house I can hear a continuous noise in the pipes but I can only hear this noise when I'm in the downstairs cloakroom where the stopcock is located. The noise sounds like a very fast tapping not really a banging noise though, could this possibly be from a water meter? The water meter is about 5 or 6 meters away from the front of the house. The stopcock has been replaced but made no difference.

Cheers
 
Fill a bucket/bowl from your fastest tap .
a) estimate how long/ Guestimate flow rate ?
b) Was this activity any noisier in cloak room ?
( than normal toilet flush )
c) Does this only happen the once if
more water is run off in a minute or two,
or each time more water is drawn off ?
 
Hi thanks for the reply, I tried it from the kitchen tap and the cloakroom tap, it was slightly quicker to fill in the kitchen but there wasn't any difference in noise. This noise happens each time water is drawn off, one thing I did notice is that the noise seems to be slower if the hot tap is turned on rather than the cold not sure what that means though?

Thanks
 
Could be a loose jumper on the stop tap

Or water hammer

Does it sound like pipes banging / a thud
 
It sounds more like a tapping than a banging but it's really fast.
 
Do you have a combi boiler or a cylinder ?
 
Does the noise happen on the hot water as well?
 
Could be a loose jumper on the stop tap

Is your stop tap fully open ?
 
Might be difficult to do, but if all else fails maybe you could have the stopcock disconnected from rest of house and join a temporary pipe leaving it, to outside, to see if noise still there.
Normally grit in pipework or stopcock faulty or not fully open.
Do you know if you have a pressure reducing valve anywhere on mains?
If you still find noise you could ask your water company to check their end outside the property.
 
The stopcock was replaced a couple of months ago as it was leaking, the noise was there before it being replaced but I'm just getting round to getting to the bottom of it now.

As far as I'm aware there isn't a pressure reducing valve anywhere, if I got the water company out to have a look at their end and don't find an issue are they likely to charge me?
 
The stopcock was replaced a couple of months ago as it was leaking, the noise was there before it being replaced but I'm just getting round to getting to the bottom of it now.

As far as I'm aware there isn't a pressure reducing valve anywhere, if I got the water company out to have a look at their end and don't find an issue are they likely to charge me?

Not sure, but in N.I. where I am, the water authority are very decent and never charge for anything like that. Ring your local water authority to ask if they charge for investigating their end, if you do decide to get them
 
Thanks for the reply, I'll give them a call and see what they say!
 
If the rooms are well heated / pipework poorly lagged , and pipe work is getting warm ,
are you hearing the pipe work contracting with incoming cool water ?
-- hence happens once then goes away , comment -
( this will be a quietish noise -with Radio /TV playing , but in a empty lightly furnished room with no background noise -Quite over powering )
... Like some one tapping a metal ring , or wooden stick against a bare pipe 2 times a sec....

(other thought a hard piece of debris ratting in a horizontal to vertical portion)
(due to flow turbulence -- any saddle clamp -pipe piercing kits anywhere )
 
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...difficult..maybe......stopcock disconnected from rest of house and join a temporary pipe leaving it, to outside,
I'm thinking of a variation , small debris(snots) after stop tap , is it all soldered , or do you have any compression pipework joins wherepipe work can be seperated past internal stopcock ?
Flush out with "Best's" technique !
 
It sounds more like a tapping than a banging but it's really fast.

Water coming in from the main supply is colder than the pipework inside the house. What you're hearing is probably a longish run of cold pipe contracting, pulling back through a hole. The clicking is the slip-stick process occuring due to friction at the hole.
 
Zzzjim – yes there are compression joins in the pipework past the stopcock, what is “Best’s technique”?

Chuck – So you mean there is an issue on the supply side between the house and the main in the street?
 
Chuck – So you mean there is an issue on the supply side between the house and the main in the street?

I was just pointing out that water coming in from the main will be at ground temperature, perhaps 10-15°C cooler than it is inside your house. If this is the mechanism there would probably be a slight delay before the clicking started and it would gradually slow down after a minute or two of running water.

Another possibility is your water meter is knackered. Here's a recording of a fairly noisy one:


If this is the issue the clicking rate will vary with flow in a fairly repeatable and persistent manner.

Noise can propagate quite quite well along a pipe full of water.

There are doubtless other possibilities but those would be high on my list of possibilities to consider.
 
Zzzjim – yes there are compression joins in the pipework past the stopcock, what is “Best’s technique”]........

I think zzzjim was just saying my idea of connecting above stopcock with temporary pipe to outside would confirm if noise is at or before (outside) the stopcock.
 
Ah right feel a bit stupid asking that now!!!

Anyway just went outside and lifted the cover for the water meter with the tap running and I can hear the exact noise I'm hearing in the house in there so I think it could be the meter. Rang the water company and they are going to come out and have a look!
 
Cheers , Modern technology !
(Thanks Chuck )
Just wait n see time !

(No such thing as a "Silly" question)
 
Yes fingers crossed they sort it!

Thanks all for your help and advice, I'll let you know how I get on.
 
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