While manufacturers of plumbing fixtures make their products as noise-free as possible and contractors do what they can to keep your plumbing system quiet, you still may get noise of one type or another, especially if you are in an older home.

Water hammer is one of the most common unwanted noises. It is the thump in your piping that you hear when you turn faucets or valves off abruptly. Usually, it can be eliminated by installing an air chamber or short length of pipe where the water supply enters the associated fixture. If this doesn’t work, special devices known as shock arresters should be installed on the main line near your meter or as close as possible to the cause of the noise.

Sometimes, water hammer in your house may have its cause outside of your place, either along the water main or even in a neighbor’s house. This calls for skillful detective work by an experienced, licensed plumber to find the source of the trouble and fix it.

In any event, don’t let water hammer go on indefinitely because it’s an audible signal of something wrong that can cause serious damage. It indicates that your piping is being subjected to many shock waves that could lead to leaks in piping, fixtures or tanks unless the condition is corrected.