Opinion needed - Noises from above!

[qwab32]

Hi - hoping someone on the forum can give me an opinion on what the noises are from the flat above me. I live in an apartment block and at the start of 2018 came home from holiday to find staining on the roof of the two bathrooms and also on the wall of the kitchen. The agents for the flat above arranged a plumber who resealed their shower room and the sinks in both bathrooms. The stains stopped growing and dried in.

When the person in the flat above uses the hand basin in the shower room above there are noises in my flat. The agent and plumber are adamant that it cannot be drips as everything has been checked out - the fact that there are no more stains seems to back this up. The plumber has used a meter and the stains are bone dry. They think that it is just pipes expanding - the flat is about 10 years old and I assume would have plastic pipes and I'm not sure if they make noises when they expand. Anyway I've attached a 26 second video of the noises - can you give an opinion on whether you think that the noises are drips or pipes expanding or something else (you maybe can't hear it on the video but there is water running from a tap in the flat above). If it's just pipes expanding I'm not sure what I can do but if it's drips I'll need to get it fixed. Thanks for reading and any responses - this whole thing is driving me nuts!

 

[Sharp Point]

Yep sounds like expansion to me

 

[Gasmk1]

its more than likeley expansion or contraction or the guy upstairs annoying you

 

[qwab32]

Thanks guys...looks like expansion then. Can anything be done about that?

 

[Chuck]

Thanks guys...looks like expansion then. Can anything be done about that?

The recording sounds to me like 'stick-slip' friction where pipes are touching or passing through supports. Competent plumbers know when/where this is likely to occur and wrap the pipe in a sleeve of hemp insulation to avoid the problem.

It's not usually that difficult to fix. The problem will be that a landlord who got the work done on the cheap by Buffalo Bill's Plumbing and Dog-Washing Service is not going to want to pay again to have the work redone.

 

[qwab32]

Think I'll just have to put up with the noise for now. The pipes would be routed behind walls so the chances of them fixing it are remote. Thanks for the answers. Gives me a bit of comfort at least it's not water dripping.