Often residents of high-rise buildings complain that they hear a rumble and buzz in water pipes. Extraneous noises interfere with relaxing at night and pretty annoying during the day. As a rule, the water pipes in the apartment are buzzing with closed taps, but there is a buzz at the time of the start of the water. In any case, the problem must be solved. And the sooner the better.
Causes of Humming in Water Pipes
Experienced masters identify several reasons why the system can buzz day and night. To deal with each of them, you need to study the mechanism of noise.
Improper repair of water supply lines
If pipes of cold or hot water are buzzing after recently carried out repair work with neighbors in the riser, the reason may be a violation of the repair technology. Pipes are not fixed securely to the wall, are not fixed on turns or bends. Perhaps the installation mistake was made by the plumbers of the management company when replacing any elements of the system, the pipes did not fit well. Another option for errors during the repair of the water supply system is the excessively close arrangement of the hot water and cold water lines to each other. As a result, at the moment the fluid moves through them, the tubes vibrate, collide and create a characteristic hum.
Solve problems like this:
- Poorly fixed elements further strengthen.
- Close pipes are wrapped with foam insulation material.
- Allowed blunders eliminate.
If there is no experience in working with plumbing equipment, it is better to invite specialists to carry out the work. Especially if the noise source is in the basement of the house.
Heart attack tubes
This problem occurs due to fouling of the inner walls of the line with rust and salts. As a rule, a similar problem occurs more often in old high-rise buildings that have not been repaired for a long time. In this case, the pipes buzz when you turn on the water.
The cross section of the line decreased significantly with time, and the pressure in the system remained the same. Water that does not have space for free movement provokes rattling of the line, hum, third-party noises. There are two ways to deal with the problem:
- Radically - by changing all the water pipes, at least in the apartment. It is better to chip in neighbors and change the utility network for the riser. Ideally, touch and communications in the basement. Then you can definitely guarantee reliable operation of the water supply system.
- Temporarily using the flushing method. For this, a hydraulic installation is used. The disassembled pipe is completely washed under high pressure to eliminate deposits on its walls. Previously, you can walk along the line with a cable with a brush at the end. But here you need to be careful. Often, old communications do not withstand high atmospheres.
To assess the condition of the pipes in the apartment and unambiguously diagnose a "heart attack", you need to dismantle the mixer and examine the line clearance. As a rule, it is in this place that more deposits accumulate.
Pipe pressure too high
For an engineering network in apartment buildings, the pressure is 2 atm. The highest border limit is 6 atmospheres. If this indicator is even greater, the pipes rustle when you open the water. A strong hum and whistle is heard. This situation is dangerous. Due to the high voltage, a water hammer may occur on the walls of the pipeline. In this case, depressurization of joints, gusts in areas of the engineering line, including in the toilet flush cistern or bathroom faucet, is inevitable.
To eliminate the problem of high pressure in the network, you need to involve a company that provides such services.Temporarily it is possible to install an air chamber at the junction of the pipe with the tap. It will take in excess air in the system when the water is turned on. Doing more serious work in this case is prohibited.
Failures and breakdowns of plumbing equipment
Particular attention should be paid to all locking elements of the system - taps, fittings. They often wear out gaskets, crane boxes suffer. This is especially true of old valve overhead valves. It is important to consider that for this reason, characteristic noise and buzz will be noted in all apartments along the riser. To find out which one is problematic, you should alternately turn off the opening tap and monitor the appearance of noise in other rooms.
All defective elements are replaced with new ones, gaskets are updated, special sealants are used.
Modern ball or single lever cranes do not have gaskets and crane boxes, so they certainly can not be the cause of the appearance of external noise in the pipeline to cold or hot water.
Preventative measures
In most cases, the prevention of the constant hum in the water supply refers to the cases when the apartment is already undergoing repair of utility networks. It is advisable to consider the following points to prevent noise in the pipes:
- Correctly select the section of the line depending on the pressure in the system.
- Focus on the material of the new pipes. It is better to use white polypropylene or gray PVC.
- When installing two parallel lines on cold and hot water, make sure that the communications are located at a sufficient distance from each other (at least 1.5 cm).
- Securely fasten the network to the wall with the help of special clamps. This will eliminate rattling.
- As ball valves use ball or single lever valves.
- When installing a water meter, be sure to mount the coarse filters in the kit with a check valve. They will protect the taps and joints of the pipes with the mixer from the formation of plaque.
- On pipes for hot water use only paranitic gaskets. They respond well to high temperatures.
To prevent humming of utility networks from the basement riser, watch for the conscientious performance of your duties by the management company. In case of any suspicious moments, invite your plumber to fix the problems, otherwise the whole riser will suffer.
