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Pipes may make noise due to any of several problems.
Rattles. Sometimes water traveling through pipes makes them vibrate against your home’s framing members. If you can gain access to your pipes where they rattle, from the basement, for example, the quickest and easiest way to solve the problem is to put foam insulation sleeves onto them and refasten them securely.
Chattering. If pipes chatter when you turn on certain faucets, replace the faucet washers.
Water hammer. A very common pipe noise called “water hammer” is the banging sound that may occur when water rushes through pipes and hits a quick-closing valve, such as the type inside a toilet or washing machine. Normally a home’s plumbing system is designed with short lengths of pipe that fill up with air to cushion the water as it comes to a quick stop, but the air can eventually leak out.
To solve water hammer, recharge the water supply system with air to help cushion the water’s flow when it reaches faucets. To do this, turn off the main water supply valve, and drain the water from the supply system by opening all of your house’s faucets halfway. Then close the lowest faucets and turn on the main water supply. Work your way up through the house, turning off the faucets as water begins to flow through them.
If the problem persists, you can buy a water hammer arrester that attaches to the supply valve or pipe that serves the offending fixture. If this doesn’t work, call a plumber.
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