Noisy Drain Pipes? Geisel’s Got The Solution

Hearing water draining in the pipes of your walls is not only annoying but also can be embarrassing. Your guests shouldn’t have to hear toilet water flushing down the walls whenever someone uses the facilities. If you have noisy drain pipes and would like to remedy the situation, GoGeisel has a solution for you.

If there is no leaking in the wall where the pipe extends, there’s probably no problem other than that your pipes are made of PVC or ABS plastic. Being low-density plastics, these are unfortunately great carriers of noise. They can also make a popping sound when hot water passes through, plus they may expand and rub against the house frame within the walls.

One option for reducing these noisy drain pipes is to insulate them with fiberglass sound batts. You’ll have to expose and wrap the entire pipe, from the toilet to the basement, and then insulate the wall and ceiling cavity with the batt as well.

Another choice for eliminating noisy drain pipes is to replace them with cast-iron pipes. Cast iron is not only sturdy and long lasting, but quiet. Because of its dense structure and rubber gaskets and seals used between sections, it can absorb sound vibrations. It also doesn’t expand, as does plastic.

If rebuilding or remodeling is a consideration, cast iron is affordable. One cost-effective method to avoid noisy drain pipes is to install cast iron for drainage pipes, but use plastic for all the other piping.

An added benefit of cast iron is that the pipes are made from recycled scrap iron and steel, which can be recycled in the future should the need arise. Plastic piping is not environmentally friendly and isn’t easy to recycle. It doesn’t biodegrade, and the solvents used produce toxic fumes. Any house utilizing plastic pipes needs to be well ventilated so the fumes don’t reduce indoor air quality.

For more expert advice about plumbing or heating and air conditioning, please contact us at Geisel Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing, proudly serving the greater Cleveland area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Western Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about drain pipes and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

For those Do it Yourselfers who would rather take control of your own indoor comfort, you can shop our online store for replacement parts, products and accessories!   

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