Can You Recommend a Plumber?

[Kyras]

I live in south Orange County near Lake Forest and Mission Viejo and I need a plumber to come check out the pipe noise in my house, before something breaks. I hate to hire someone I know nothing about. Anyone have a recommendation?

Thank you,

Patricia

 

[Kyras]

I figured that if my pipes break due to this problem, I'd have to call my home insurance company for the damage, so maybe they could recommend a plumber. I called my agent and he recommended two. I called the first one and a guy will be out on Tuesday, tomorrow. :smile:

 

[Cragar]

Kyras ,

I am no where near the west coast , so I don't have any plumbers to recommend unfortunately.

The noise you are hearing is this perhaps what is known as ' water hammer ' ? This occurs when a faucet is shut off abruptly and you hear a clang or banging from the pipes rattling in the wall. This is caused by pipes improperly secured or that have worked loose from their mounting points.

Do you hear this type of noise after shutting off a faucet or flushing a toilet ?

 

[Miner]

Patty,

Sorry no one could come up with suggestions. I lived in a condo when I lived in OC and an apartment now, so maintenance is not my problem. Hope the problem is minor.

Miner

 

[Kyras]

Kyras ,

I am no where near the west coast , so I don't have any plumbers to recommend unfortunately.

The noise you are hearing is this perhaps what is known as ' water hammer ' ? This occurs when a faucet is shut off abruptly and you hear a clang or banging from the pipes rattling in the wall. This is caused by pipes improperly secured or that have worked loose from their mounting points.

Do you hear this type of noise after shutting off a faucet or flushing a toilet ?

Yes, that could be what it is. After the downstairs toilet is flushed it might be quiet for a few seconds and then I sometimes hear 50 kind of squeeks. Also get banging when my new washing machine squirts over and over to rinse the soap dispenser. Actually, I think that may be what started the problem, after a while, with the jerking of water on and off. It seems to be cold water only. I just hope I don't need walls torn up to secure pipes. I hope the plumber knows exactly what the cause is, when he hears it.

I looked up water hammering a couple weeks ago and tried letting air out of the pipes by the water regulator. I thought it fixed it but no such luck. I thought it might have something to do with the water softener and scale but I'm ready for an expert.

 

[Kyras]

Patty,

Sorry no one could come up with suggestions. I lived in a condo when I lived in OC and an apartment now, so maintenance is not my problem. Hope the problem is minor.

Miner

I hope it's minor too, Miner. :tongue:

 

[coolnsx]

Patty, I use Bill at Saddleback Plumbing, local RSM and good for 15 years
949 858-0284

 

[Cragar]

Yes, that could be what it is. After the downstairs toilet is flushed it might be quiet for a few seconds and then I sometimes hear 50 kind of squeeks. Also get banging when my new washing machine squirts over and over to rinse the soap dispenser. Actually, I think that may be what started the problem, after a while, with the jerking of water on and off. It seems to be cold water only. I just hope I don't need walls torn up to secure pipes. I hope the plumber knows exactly what the cause is, when he hears it.

I looked up water hammering a couple weeks ago and tried letting air out of the pipes by the water regulator. I thought it fixed it but no such luck. I thought it might have something to do with the water softener and scale but I'm ready for an expert.

Did this problem start just after installing the new washing machine ?

Sometimes the problem can be solved by installing a water hammer arrestor. They have some that can be installed inline to your washing machine without the need for a plumber. Just unscrew the feed line and screw on an arrestor and reattach feed line. No tools needed. They have these at Lowes or HomeCheapo. Not very expensive , about $20 or so.

Some info here -
http://www.plumbingsupply.com/waterhammerarresters.html

 

[Kyras]

Patty, I use Bill at Saddleback Plumbing, local RSM and good for 15 years
949 858-0284

Thanks, Gil. If I need a second opinion I'll call him. There's a guy coming from Biard and Crockett already, this morning.

 

[Kyras]

Did this problem start just after installing the new washing machine ?

Sometimes the problem can be solved by installing a water hammer arrestor. They have some that can be installed inline to your washing machine without the need for a plumber. Just unscrew the feed line and screw on an arrestor and reattach feed line. No tools needed. They have these at Lowes or HomeCheapo. Not very expensive , about $20 or so.

Some info here -
http://www.plumbingsupply.com/waterhammerarresters.html

Thank you for the the info, Cragar. It seems to me that the new washing machine may have loosened the pipes. But that sounds like a good thing to put on that line, anyway. I still have the problem when the toilet flushes. I even hear pipe noises at the back of my refrigerator.

 

[Kyras]

:smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile:

Ryan (and helper, Richard) were here from Biard and Crockett Plumbing Service, Inc., out of Orange, CA (714) 639-4400. I'm very happy to say, Ryan fixed the problems.

The water heater supplies had some marbles to dampen the flow but they don't work with the new clothes washer I have because it's got an abrupt squirt of water when dispensing the soap. Ryan installed new supply hoses without those marble flow restricters. He also installed a new fill valve, flapper, angle stop and supply in the downstairs toilet. It had been squeaking and hissing for a long time after filling. The hoses on the back of the refrigerator were slapping sometimes with the water banging that was going on, so he taped them down. Ryan also checked out my master bath shower and discovered why I had problems with the water temperature. The Moen cartridge handle was installed upside down so he adjusted that and now I have continuous water flow and temperature variation, just like a real shower has. :wink: They were here for about two hours and I paid $327.

I highly recommend Ryan for your plumbing needs.

 

[Cragar]

I am glad to hear everything worked out for you. Sometimes hiring a pro is worth it. It sounds like he and his helper really know what they are doing.

I am not a plumber but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express .... :tongue:


I have been called out to fix things that were done by others that did not have to knowledge of what I know about my trade. Yes , I am not cheap but I am good. I will do it right the first time , if not I will make it right even if I lose money on the deal.

Remember , you are not paying them for what they do with their hands , you are paying for what they know.

$327 sounds like you got a good deal for your money. Everything is working properly and that is what matters most.

 

[Kyras]

^Yeah, it's the knowledge that is important. I had a Handyman tell me I had to remove the travertine on the shower wall to fix the shower temperature problem. I didn't see what Ryan did, but he fixed the upsidedown cartridge handle in no time. I've been using a different shower for over a year and a half, thinking I'd have to tear the wall apart.

Now, if only my HVAC guy was good. He's been out 6 times and still doesn't have my expensive new system working properly. His last chance is Thursday.