ShareThisBy ED DEL GRANDE
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Q: Ed, you have been my plumbing coach while I built my new house. I never miss your column or the Ed The Plumber TV show for new knowledge, but now I've been hit with an unexpected issue. While I love the looks of my new upstairs designer bathroom, whenever anyone uses the water the draining noise from the PVC pipe drains can be heard very loudly in the living room below! This is very embarrassing when company is over. What is causing this and can it be fixed? My old drains were cast iron and I never heard them. I'm getting very frustrated! _ Chuck, Arizona
A: Thanks for the support Chuck and I'll do my best to explain why you notice this noise so much. Your big clue was at the end when you mentioned that your old house had cast iron drains. Cast Iron is a very heavy and thick iron pipe.
To make something soundproof you need mass. Having a concrete wall between apartments or rooms will make noise on one side almost impossible to hear on the other side because of the heavy solid surface of the concrete. On the other hand, a thin sheet rock wall will not stop much noise because it's a lighter, thinner material. Drains work the same way. Cast iron drains make it almost impossible to hear the water running through them, while lighter and thinner PVC drains will let the water sound rushing through the pipes carry outside of the drains. If your PVC lines are in a heavy wall, the thick wall will quiet things down a little. But, it seems that your lightweight PVC drains may also be behind a lightweight wall. This will allow you to hear almost every drop.
I also suspect you may have grown used to used the quiet cast iron and that has made you especially sensitive to the normal PVC drain noise. The only suggestion I can make is to call an insulation contractor and see whether the wall and ceiling area around the drains can be insulated with some spray in or blown in insulation. That may quiet things down.
First, though, you might let it go for a while and once you've living in your new house for a few month's you'll have time to adjust to all the noises a new home can have. This may not seem like a big deal down the road and you'll save yourself some money as well. For what it's worth, I also hear my PVC drains, but I tell myself that a babbling brook can be a very relaxing sound to hear!
Q: Ed, you tell it like it is with plumbing so I'll accept your answer even if it's not the one I want to hear! About a year ago we replaced our old galvanized water lines with shiny new copper pipe. It looked so much thinner and nicer and the water flows much better. This year, though, we have noticed that our beautiful shiny copper is turning a dirty brownish color and it's no longer shiny. Is this normal and can we fix it? Help, I like a clean basement! _ Meredith, Ohio
A: First, Meredith, your not alone. I receive a lot of letters like this about changes in the coloring of copper pipe. The good news is unless you see a green color or build-up forming on copper pipe and fittings, you really don't have to panic. Copper pipe comes from the factory polished to a shine. But as it sits for longer periods of time in a basement or even on a plumber's truck, it will start to turn dingy. This is completely normal.
Some plumbers may shine up an unused old piece of pipe with steel wool to make it look new again, but bright copper pipe is not any stronger than new copper pipe that has turned a little brown. So if it's just the cosmetic problem your worried about, get a few packs of steel wool and have yourself a ball shining up your copper pipes! They will look brand new for a while, but down the road they will turn dingy once again and will require additional care. There may be marine sealers or polishes that will help prolong the shiny look. But check the label or with the manufacturer to make sure they will not do any damage to copper pipe.
I respect your wanting a clean looking basement . So I'll give you a shiny gold star in my book!
(Master Plumber Ed Del Grande hosts Ed The Plumber on DIY Network and Contractor stories on HGTVpro.com. Always follow local codes. Visit Ed at eddelgrande.com and send questions to: edtheplumber(at)diynetwork.com.)
