- Messages
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Hi All
First of all I'll clarify that I am a homeowner and have very little plumbing knowledge, so some / all of my terminology will be very basic / wrong.
A few weeks ago my water pipes started 'clanging' when not in use, making the same sound of something shutting off as when I usually turn off one of the taps. It sounded like something filling up then locking to stop more water coming in (when I listened closely I could hear the water running then stopping as it clanged). My dad, who knows a fair bit about plumbing (but not in this instance) turned the stopcock up to nearly full, and that didn't work.
I then phoned my usual plumber who fitted my boiler, who said the issue is a water hammer and that I needed to turn the stopcock down, and that it could have been down to a change in water pressure in the area. I turned the stopcock down and it seemed to have solved it. But then it came back.
It now happens intermittently. It can be quiet for a bit, then happen a few times in 5 minutes, then regular intervals. It can also be louder at some times than others, and seems to be in different places depending on how much the stopcock is open. I've turned the stopcock down to about 1/3 of a full rotation at one point. Any lower and I'll lose flow in the taps. The only time it doesn't happen is when the water is off. I've drained the taps and started again and that didn't solve it either.
It's never done this before and I had a new boiler around 2 years ago. It even makes a noise when I come in from work and no one has used the water all day and the heating hasn't been on.
Any advice on how to solve this would be much appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.
First of all I'll clarify that I am a homeowner and have very little plumbing knowledge, so some / all of my terminology will be very basic / wrong.
A few weeks ago my water pipes started 'clanging' when not in use, making the same sound of something shutting off as when I usually turn off one of the taps. It sounded like something filling up then locking to stop more water coming in (when I listened closely I could hear the water running then stopping as it clanged). My dad, who knows a fair bit about plumbing (but not in this instance) turned the stopcock up to nearly full, and that didn't work.
I then phoned my usual plumber who fitted my boiler, who said the issue is a water hammer and that I needed to turn the stopcock down, and that it could have been down to a change in water pressure in the area. I turned the stopcock down and it seemed to have solved it. But then it came back.
It now happens intermittently. It can be quiet for a bit, then happen a few times in 5 minutes, then regular intervals. It can also be louder at some times than others, and seems to be in different places depending on how much the stopcock is open. I've turned the stopcock down to about 1/3 of a full rotation at one point. Any lower and I'll lose flow in the taps. The only time it doesn't happen is when the water is off. I've drained the taps and started again and that didn't solve it either.
It's never done this before and I had a new boiler around 2 years ago. It even makes a noise when I come in from work and no one has used the water all day and the heating hasn't been on.
Any advice on how to solve this would be much appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.