Leak

If the leak can be contained, please place a tray or similar to prevent the water causing further damage to the surrounding areas and report the matter to us.

If the leak is uncontainable, isolate the water supply and report the problem as an emergency.

Noisy

Your water pipes deal with a lot of pressure and temperature changes.

If the pipes are quiet and working well, they’re out of sight, out of mind. Noisy water pipes can be caused by several problems, some of them easy to fix and others more involved. What noise are you hearing?

The water hammer

Hammering, or banging pipe noises, is one of the most common noisy pipe problems. It occurs when the water is turned off and high pressure in the pipes makes the water inside look for a place to go, ultimately banging against the shut-off valve or pipe walls. The noise is a distinct hammering and usually only occurs after a tap or appliance is turned off. To correct, try to reset the water system’s air chambers.

Shut off your home’s water supply by turning off the main shut-off valve and then open all your taps to completely drain the pipes. Then turn the water back on, and the hammer noises should be resolved.

Whistling pipe noises

There are two types of whistling in plumbing systems - whistling in the pipe system and whistling by certain taps or valves. If just one or two taps are whistling when they run, the issue is probably a worn washer, loose brass screw or grimy aerator inside the tap itself. A whistling toilet that quiets down after the tank is filled usually needs a new ballcock valve. A toilet that whistles all the time probably has an issue with the vertical overflow tube. To fix these, we will need to arrange a plumber, who will turn the water supply off and repair or replace those parts, so do report the this to us.

Thrumming and vibrating pipe noises

These usually indicate excessive water pressure. Other pipe noises and their causes: Sometimes you might hear a faint squeak or rubbing noise caused by copper pipes, which heat up and expand when hot water runs through them and may be rubbing against the house’s structural features. If you think this may be your issue, you can try turning the water heater temperature down slightly; sometimes a small difference in temperature eliminates the problem. If not then do get in touch.

A dripping or ticking noise may be a cause for concern as it could be a drain issue or leak. If the sound persists, fill your bathroom sink with very hot water and then flush the toilet, which will push cold water into your pipes. Then drain the hot water from the sink, and if you hear the noise, you’re probably just hearing thermal expansion, which is an annoyance but not a true concern. If neither of these methods takes care of the dripping or ticking noises, let your Customer Services team know.

Blocked

If you think one of your sinks, showers or bath is blocked, you can try to clear this yourself using a suction cup (suction cups or drain cleaning wires should not be used where dry traps are fitted).

Drain clearing products will also help, but be sure to follow safety advice and make sure you wear gloves. If this doesn’t work, then place a container under the plastic trap and carefully unscrew it. Remove the blockage and screw the trap back in place.

To help avoid this, regularly remove any hairs or debris that get trapped in your plug holes.