Residents of multi-storey buildings quite often encounter the buzz of water pipes. Why acoustic noise is felt in the apartment and what to do in such cases - these are the first and important questions that require an immediate solution. An unpleasant sound can be observed both when the tap is closed and when it is opened. In any case, the rumble in the pipes needs to be eliminated.
What to do when pipes buzz in an apartment depends on the reasons for its occurrence. The most common of these are:
The first reason is most likely if there is a very high water pressure. When the faucet is turned off, the noise gets louder. A similar situation occurs during complex repair work on the water main and the managing organization must eliminate it. The second reason why a water pipe buzzes when the tap is closed is related to unprofessional installation, when the elements are not tightly connected or fixed.
A decrease in the inner diameter of pipes occurs in those houses where major repairs of communications have not been carried out for a long time. Water channels can become overgrown with rust and salts from the inside. As a result, their diameter decreases, while the water pressure remains the same. In this case, replacing metal pipes with plastic ones will help eliminate the hum. The last reason occurs when a tap or mixer is damaged in the apartment. Unpleasant sounds can be emitted not only in the room where there are problems, but also in other apartments. Turning off the inlet taps in each of them will help to identify the problem.
The water pipe may begin to hum when the water is turned on. This is caused by excessive pressure in the system and can lead to depressurization and rupture of connections. To reduce the load and eliminate the hum, a special air chamber is installed in the place where the crane joins the pipe. She will take the pressure on herself.
Note! The chamber can be made by yourself using an additional pipe section or using a factory pipe silencer. This will reduce the load on the channels and extend their service life.
In some cases, water enters the system under high pressure and with a significant admixture of air. This situation cannot be resolved on its own and will require the involvement of a service provider. The problem of why the water pipe buzzes when the tap opens does not arise if the pressure in the mixer is 2 atm. With this value, both the dishwasher and the washing machine can fully work. The boundary pressure limit is 6 atm.
If the faucet hums several times a day, then one of the neighbors can repair communications. In this case, the elements may not be tightly connected to each other. Eliminating installation flaws and good fixation of pipes will help get rid of an unpleasant hum. If the pipes are close to each other, the water that passes through them can create vibration and lead to their mutual collision. A similar problem is solved by wrapping each channel with foam insulation.
You can diagnose a clogged channel by disconnecting the tap or mixer from the pipe and assessing its condition. The build-up on the walls leads to the fact that the resulting jet stream of water creates small vibrations and noise. Since most often the accumulation of dirt that is contained in the water supply occurs at its ends, you can try to clean them. The end sections are prone to clogging not only in metal pipelines, but also in polypropylene and plastic ones. The diameter of the taps of the mixer is different from the section of the channel itself, which contributes to the accumulation of dirt in such areas.
Mechanical cleaning, as well as pneumatic or hydraulic flushing, can be used to eliminate blockages that lead to humming pipes. Flushing is the process of a continuous strong flow of water through a pipeline. For these purposes, circulation or electric pumps are used. In this way, it is possible to wash out blockage of light particles in a network where water passes at high speed.
Note! Flushing is not effective for large diameter channels in which the liquid flows slowly. In this case, all the same, heavy particles will settle on the inner walls.
Cleaning can be carried out on separate sections of pipes. To do this, the problem area is turned off and the water is drained. The pipe is disconnected and cleaned with a thick wire. If the actions performed were ineffective, then the part with the blockage is cut out and replaced with a new one. To eliminate additional noise due to unreliable fixation, the channels are tightly attached to building structures using rubber gaskets.
When pipes are buzzing in an apartment, sometimes the simplest solution to the problem lies in the water fittings. If, when the tap is opened, the water channel begins to vibrate, then the cause is a malfunction of the mixer. Such a question, as well as a breakdown of the shut-off valve, can be solved by turning off the water in the riser and performing a simple repair.
To do this, remove the crane box and disassemble it with the gasket located at the end of the stem. It can either hang on it, or have pointed edges of a conical shape. In the first case, the used gasket is simply replaced with a new one, in the second, its edges are cut with scissors. By installing the crane box in place and checking the performance, you can eliminate the hum.
Similar problems are typical for old-style mixers equipped with half-turn or valve valve boxes. Modern single-lever models and ball valves do not have gaskets that block the water. For this reason, they cannot cause water pipes to hum. Thus, determining why the water pipes buzz when the tap is closed or opens and what to do about it is an important aspect of comfortable living in the apartment and in the whole house as a whole. Timely solution of the problem will ensure the efficiency of the system for many years.
