Unfortunately, just like everything else in your home, your plumbing system can break. However, sometimes homeowners will receive a warning sign that includes such things as a hissing sound coming from a sink, a loud hammer or thud sound when a faucet is turned off, pipes whistling, and much more before the bigger problem occurs. As a Philadelphia plumber, we have seen many of our past clients try to remedy a plumbing “noise” before they call us. As any plumbers in the Philadelphia area will tell you, calling one of us BEFORE you truly try to stop the noise will certainly do more harm than good. The last thing you want is to make the plumbing noise worse than before!

However, for those of you looking to diagnose the issue (and try to fix it before you pick up the phone), we would like to offer some reasons why you might be hearing certain sounds, as well as what you could do to stop them—with or without a plumber.

There is a hissing sound coming from your kitchen or bathroom sink.

If you hear a hissing sound in our around your sink, this could be a sign that your water pressure has skyrocketed. If you ignore the hissing sound, there is a strong chance that your water bill will steadily rise (if it hasn’t already), and it will also put stress on your plumbing system’s pipes. One way that a sound/issue such as this can be avoided is by having a pressure regulator installed by a licensed plumber.

You hear a thud or hammer sound.

If you turn off a faucet and hear a dull sound such as a thud or a hammering sound, these are two additional signs that might indicate you have high water pressure. In order to prohibit this from happening you can install a regulator. If the issue continues, you might want to consider having shock absorbers installed to limit the hammering sound.

Your pipes will not stop whistling.

If you discover a whistling sound near your pipes, this is a sign that your water pressure is probably low. Additionally, hearing a whistling sound could also indicate that your pipes are contaminated with debris and/or there is air caught in the pipes. One way to remedy this issue is to turn your main shutoff valve on and off. Doing this will drain out the pipes, as well as (hopefully) all of the debris and any air caught in the pipes.

You take a shower and hear a “whooshing” sound.

If you take a shower one morning and hear a whooshing sound, this might mean that there is a large amount of mineral buildup in your hot water heater, or the pipes themselves. In order to fix this issue, the only thing you should do is call a plumber. Oftentimes, an issue such as this can only be corrected if a professional flushes out all of the debris. This can be a huge undertaking for any homeowner because it involves the pipes and your water heater.

If you hear any unusual noises coming from any part of your plumbing system the first thing you should do is NOT ignore the noise. If you ignore any of the sounds we mentioned above, you might find yourself with a huge plumbing problem as opposed to just a small issue!