My flat has a concrete floor, and the water pipes run around the bottom of the walls, they are not boxed in , they're exposed. The water pipes of both flats seem to be all connected. Consequently when my neighbours, in the flat bellow, use their cold water tap, the noise penitrates right through every room of my flat. Can anyone advise me how to go about soundproofing my pipes, bearing in mind that its a rented flat and I don't want to spend too much? Thanks in advance Mycal
What sort of noise is it? I doubt you can soundproof the pipes, maybe boxing them in and packing with insulation would work but that’s not really gonna be that cheap. Ideally you would need to sort out the issue causing the noise, but if it’s your neighbours supply causing the noise it could be a pain. The actual issue could be as simple as a valve partially closed, which can cause a rushing sound.
pppmacca43 Thanks for getting back to me. The noise the pipes make is a loud, sometimes high-pitched, or a deep bowelled noise, depending on how much my neighbours' tap is opened and how fast the water screaches through the pipes. Either way it's unpredictable and irritating. I think there is a pressure problem because when I turn my tap on it rushes out like Niagra. I wrapped some blankets around the exposed pipes in the kitchen earlier, just to see if it would muffle the sound a little. It has made a difference, so a more substantial job would definitely help. It's just a case of what material to use.
I suspect if the pressure is high then a valve has been turned down to regulate the flow. This will cause a loud rushing noise through the pipes. Not really sure what you could try cheaply that will deaden the noise, maybe some pipe insulation could help
Could be worth reporting it to the landlord stating 'noise nuisance' - could be as simple as adjusting the main supply.
They don’t really need to check pressure as such, that will be ok. When you have high pressure and a valve isn’t open fully it can create a noise. If as u say it only happens when the neighbour uses the water then that would most likely be in there house.
pppmacca43 I have contacted the landlord, reported the issue, stating that the problem is likely to be found in the flat underneath mine. The landlord said they will inform their maintenance department, but as it's not considered urgent, it's likely to take some time. In the meantime I will have a go at insulating all the exposed pipes. I appreciate your advice. Thanks.
Hi Jimbo, I took your advice and reported it again to the landlord's agent. I sent her a letter advising her to contact an experienced plumber. After calling umpteen times to remind her and ask if there was any news about when the plumber would be calling to investigate the problem, I've finally finally got it sorted. The screeching noise the pipes were making, turned out to be down to the taps. The plumber clearly knew his onions. He changed the pillar high neck taps (in both flats) for cross head taps, and the difference is unbelievable. There's a 99% improvement. I can hardly hear a thing now. Thanks again.