noisy pipes

[nextqueen]

what is wrong when pipes keep you up all night making a humming noise, like a hoover sound on all the time?it seems that if anyone goes to the loo next door it starts. i think it must be builiding up when im out. i hardly slept a wink last night. how can the neighbours possibly affect my pipes if the sewage pipe leads directly outside from each individual property?

[douglas9401]

I live in a semi and if I'm in the downstairs bathroom when it's quiet I can hear next door's cistern refilling. I've always just assumed it's the result of vibration from water moving in the pipes under pressure.
I think it's unlikely to be your drains as they mostly rely on gravity to remove outflow. Does the neighbour have something like a SaniFlo installed?

[The Builder]

It wouldn't be the drain or soil pipes, Queenie. Sounds more like a mains pressure related problem. Pipework "banging" would suggest water hammer. You have a humming sound which might suggest a faulty "bouncing" inlet valve in a cistern. In a roof tank, or a WC cistern, but that would have to be running all the time........ not very likely.

[nextqueen]

i have looked online and it said to run all taps for 10 minutes starting at the top of the house working down, this has been done so i wait for later on. its weird as it only seems to happen at night time. why?

[gingejbee]

Very low ambient noise levels mean you are more likely to hear it.

[gingejbee]

...and if the noise is generated next door, is running YOUR taps going to work?......

[DTCwordfan]

I don't think I have told this yarn before. I was living in Brussels, a beautiful top floor flat of a very old town-house, the apartment had wings we joked.

A long story with a "friend" not contacting me about staying with me a week or so out, after having asked me three months before and I wasn't arsed to go chasing after him on a consultancy assignment in S Belgium. I went off to Dusseldorf with friends and he was left stranded.

On the way back to England next day, the plane empty, he goes and sits next to this cute girl as was his want and reputation. Anyway, sure as sure, a date is arranged. He phones this time to come and stay.

Turns out he has a date....I was knackered anyway from the week and off they go, me preferring a wee steak, glass of wine and early night. About midnight, a bang, bang on the door - he can't get in past the double key system (he had a set). Thank goodness, I put a dressing gown on as there he was with this girl along side him. Off to the west wing (the upper wing) they go.

I don't know how long later but I was woken from my sleep again, an UUUgggheeeeruuuuerrr sound - "What the hell is wrong with my pipes, my heating system?" was my thought. I got out of bed, went up the first flight of stairs and the sound stops.

I don't know how long later, I woke to another UUUgggheeeeruuuuerrr sound. Once more, I got out of bed, muttering about the bloody pipes. I got to the top of the first flight, the UUUgggheeeeruuuuerrraaaargh continuing and then the penny dropped. It wasn't the heating.........

My ex (gf at the time) christened her "Pipes" and that was what she was known as amongst friends.....

[tonyav]

Please explain what the noise was DT Iv'e led a very sheltered life lol.

[DTCwordfan]

a Brunei Princess in full flow, tony.

Excuse this banter, nextqueen....

[tonyav]

LOL @ DT sorry nextqueen.

[The Builder]

Lol @ DT.
Queenie....... mains pressure rises quite considerably at night. Mainly because so few people are using it. As Clarion has said, it does sound like a bouncing inlet valve.
When next door flushes, pressure will drop locally (very slightly) then rise again afterwards.

[nextqueen]

the plumber came and in 5 seconds said the loo was whistling and he fixed it. i dont know how exactly but oh no, ………its still happening every time next door flush their loo! how can this be? my downstairs loo is next to theirs.

[nextqueen]

sorry, to be more specific, he said the flusher on the loo was whistling.