I'm trying to dull the tapping noise from the pipes in my ceiling. What materials could I use to deaden the noise? I tried cork tiles but that had no effect whatsoever on the noise.
I've read that the idea is to use many layers of different materials.
Have you considered fixing the problem, rather than patching the symptom?
Won't work. ...unless those layers are stuffed in your ears.
Makes more sense to fix the tapping.
You need something with mass and thats a problem with a ceiling.
Because they have bugger all mass.
Thats wrong. You wont get any better result with multiple layers of paper, plastic and cloth in that particular situation.
If (and it's a big IF) the pipe noise is due to the need for a pressure regulator, you MIGHT find it's cheaper to have a plumber install one, compared to your soundproofing idea. Did you landlord have a plumber take a look at the situation? Is there a regulator in place? They generally look like this one:
If you insist on pursuing the soundproofing idea, you may as well do it right, with products like this:
BS. pipes should not make noise and they are always fixable.
s
...and he doesn't mind you adding all sorts of "soundproofing"? Have you thought about moving?
noise.
He's lying or confused.
Because what used to slide easily doesnt anymore.
A regulator wouldn't cause noise. It's a thing that decreases the water pressure coming in from the supply pipes, bringing it down to a level which some believe is safer for appliances. I can also eliminate noisy pipes sometimes.
The noise might be intermittent because the water pressure for the whole system can vary depending on time of day and how many others are using water in the building.
Ask everyone you know if they have a plumber they like. Call one of the plumbers. Some will stop by for free to check out the situation. Be clear with him on the phone, explaining that it's not your building, and the only work you're allowed to do might be a regulator or some other thing that doesn't involve ripping our walls & ceilings. And of course, be sure your landlord will actually let you pay for the installation of a regulator before you waste the plumber's time with a visit that will never make him any money.
A regulator for my house costs around $60 at a plumbing supply place. I was quoted $50 to install it. Nobody but the plumber can tell you the labor rate for your situation, or if your building might need a regulator whose price is different from mine.
Presumably the same corrosion etc is affecting both.
It limits the pressure in the pipe as the name suggests.
It wont be the problem.
Richard Fangnail wrote
Between the pipe and what is used to attach it to the structure.
A slight tapping noise is not imo likely to be rubbing per se but more likely thermal contraction/expansion--very similar to the occasional pop/creak heard in a house's siding when warms up in sun on a cold day.
I had one house w/ a very long horizontal drain run from a sink -- in it, there was a sound that could be described as a tap that was actually a drip internally until that drain line finally finished emptying.
It would be a pressure-reducing valve and is a spring-loaded valve that could be installed to reduce house pressure from the higher-pressure distribution system. Normally, if these get noisy they make a more distinct sound than I would describe as a tap, but I suppose if it were buried in a wall or a ceiling somewhere it could be muffled.
dpb wrote
When the tapping got bad a few weeks ago,
due to the pipes rubbing against the
Thats rubbing.
Thats unlikely to be his problem.
it cause the tapping problem?
be installed to reduce house pressure
But wouldnt produce that one of two places effect.
Heating season, perhaps? Apartment (wood) drying out? Were you there last year at this time? It's kinda hard to troubleshoot these sorts of things over the Internet. If your super says they won't fix it there isn't much you can do about it, except ignore it or move.
Sometimes it's not? Well, sometimes you have the condition that causes the tapping and sometimes not. Sometimes in one place, sometimes in the other...
A pressure regulator may stop some pipe noise (banging, primarily), not cause it.
Pipes are held in place by U-shaped hangers nailed to the beams. Modern ones may be plastic, but older ones are metal. Metal corrodes. The pipe might be moving back & forth slightly and making noise as it rubs against the hanger(s).
This doesn't matter, though, because it's not your building, so you can't open up the walls or ceilings to fix the problem. Have you checked yet to see if there's a pressure regulator? I supplied you with a picture of one so you can identify the thing.
Metal pipes always corrode a bit over time unless they are gold or platinum etc.
Yep.
Nope.
The corrosion stops the pipe sliding in the holder silently like it used to when the pipe changes temperature when the water in it change temp, usually the hot water pipe.
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