Have you recently been worrying if your house is haunted? Have you heard banging in the walls? Don’t track down your local exorcist just yet – chances it’s your pipes!
Banging in the walls – You’d be forgiven for being spooked by strange banging or knocking sounds coming from your walls, but fear not, it’s probably just your water pipes.
Loose pipes – You may find that the banging noise is coming from a loose pipe dangling from the ceiling or wall. This should be easy to fix; get some insulated pipe clips and attach them to a solid wall or joist. Always contact a plumber if the problem is bigger than you can handle.
High water pressure – Known as the ‘water hammer’ (due to the noise it makes), this loud banging is caused by a buildup of water pressure. To rectify the issue you can try to remove the build up by turning off your main water valve and then turning on all of your taps to release the pressure. Turn the water valve back on; if the water runs normally then you have fixed the problem. If this doesn’t work then contact a plumber.
We wish you a spooky and fun Halloween! And remember, if there’s something strange, banging in your walls, who you gonna call? Maintracts! (sorry, we couldn’t help it…!).
Photograph: Diane Miller
