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What can I do for water pipes that make a "chunk, chunk" sound when the water is running?

I have city supplied water, no pump or well.

My water pipes make a "chunk, chunk, chunk" sound in the house when the water is running (shower, dish washer, sink, etc.). I saw a question & answer here about pipe rumbling noise *after* the water is turned off being related to air in the pipes, but my problem is while the water is running - it stops when you turn off the water. Is this a similar problem (air)?

What can I do to make it stop doing that?

The banging sound must be coming from air, the air might be mixing into the water line while it’s running. (are you on a well system?) The key is to make sure you have risers at every faucet in the home (pipe that goes up, and stops about 14" up)
Another thing is to check the basement for any pipe that is not secured (swaying pipe)

And finally if none of this is your problem, you may just need to install a water hammer arrestor.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2009 at 2:33 am and is filed under water. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “What can I do for water pipes that make a "chunk, chunk" sound when the water is running?”

  1. The banging sound must be coming from air, the air might be mixing into the water line while it’s running. (are you on a well system?) The key is to make sure you have risers at every faucet in the home (pipe that goes up, and stops about 14" up)
    Another thing is to check the basement for any pipe that is not secured (swaying pipe)

    And finally if none of this is your problem, you may just need to install a water hammer arrestor.
    References :

  2. If you have central heating pipes, it means you have air in them and they need to be bled. On the side of your radiator you put a radiator key on and turn, until some water comes out then tighten up again
    References :

  3. You may have excessive pressure in your area, a pressure reducing valve can be installed where the water enters the house, or you can fit an air chamber somewhere where the pipe is not seen, in a broom cupboard etc
    It works because there is trapped air in a vertical tube and the water thinks it is a spring, and can therefore get-rid of its energy there.
    References :

  4. This NOT water hammer (not happening on shut off) and not a water heating problem (dishwasher sink etc.) so it is likely trapped air. Did you recently have the water shut off to do work on the system? Don’t be concerned, the air is slowly absorbed by the flowing water so eventually this problem will disappear on its own. You probably already noticed a decrease of noise.
    References :

  5. if the problem is not air then you might have loose clip.try to figure out where the banging is coming from and securing the water pipe with a copper clip
    References :

  6. Turn on all the faucets, hot/cold throughout out the house. Let them run and see if the sound goes away. Hopefully.
    References :

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