Charlie:
Dyke in Friendswood writes to us. He says, “How do I stop the dripping noise in my attic above my master bath? There are no leaks that I can find.”
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Tom:
I’m not sure what dripping noise he means, but I’m going to assume a few things. This is a real common problem where you hear this tick, tick, tick, tick, tick noise.
Charlie:
Red wire, blue wire. Red wire, blue wire.
Tom:
Not like that, but it’s the pipes expanding when water runs through them. It sounds like a constant drip. The other thing it could be is an air conditioning system that’s dripping into a P-trap in a bathroom, but that’s not necessarily the attic. I don’t think that’s going to be it on that one. I think it’s pipes expanding. The answer to the question is you can’t do anything. It’s the way the pipes were set up. It’s just the nature of what the pipes do.
Charlie:
You can’t wrap the pipes with something to quiet them?
Tom:
No. You’re still going to hear that tick, tick, tick. You hear it all the time. I get that question all the time. Now with the newer pipes, the PEX type pipes, they don’t do that because they’re plastic.
Charlie:
I’m saying ……
Tom:
No, I understand.
Charlie:
Plastic pipes aren’t going to drip, I get it.
Tom:
No, but I wanted to make sure I threw that out there for people because they say, “I don’t have that.” You might have PEX pipe.
Charlie:
Or maybe a well-designed plumbing system.
Tom:
That’s a good point, Charlie. When you’re designing a home, if you get a chance to ever do a custom home, think about where the plumbing is going. Think about where the bathrooms are. Think about where the toilet is flushing because it is a noisy part of your house.