Plumbing Issue

backs on to my neighbours. We also share a mains water feed which has a sto p c*ck in the street outside. My problem is I can hear quite loudly water g ushing through my neighbours water pipes whenever their washing machine fil ls or their toilet flushes which goes on for ever! I have mentioned this to my neighbour to no avail and who seems unaffected by their noise. Could th is be a water pressure issue or the results of my neighbours diy projects.

Noisy pipes touching a party wall can often be heard through the wall. Also, noise in pipes will be increased by high pressure and partly open val ves which can cause turbulence. If the troublesome pipes are plastered into the wall and boxed in etc., its quite possible the noise is louder in your house than his. The sound could also be passing directly along the mains f eed pipes where they join. Simon.

In message , alec green writes

It might just be 'one of those things'

Due to the history of the building, we have two incoming mains feeds - feeding off the same main from the street (I guess they join under the drive somewhere).

Their entry points are probably separated by about 10m. Waterflow in one main, can lead to noise being heard from the other pipe, even though there is no flow in that one., just being transmitted through the water/along the pipes I guess. Though it seems a lot worse in one direction than the other.

So you neighbour may not suffer the noise in the same way.

I'm not sure can be done about it really

Ask the utility company to install a water meter. That's the only way to get your own pipework

We had separate pipework installed here about four years ago and amazingly they didn't insist on meters and didn't charge us.

Jonathan

But that would not help if the noise is coming from the neighbour's pipes with the sound coming directly through the wall.

Robert

Sometimes they put the meter under the sink, so you may not get your own pipes. Simon.