Pipes Ticking or Creaking When the Hot Water Runs? What It Means in Laguna Niguel Homes
A ticking, creaking or popping sound in walls and ceilings after a hot shower is usually pipe expansion rubbing on framing. Why it happens in Beacon Hill, Rancho…
It starts a few seconds after you turn on the shower: a soft tick, tick, tick in the ceiling, or a creak inside the wall that keeps going for a minute after the water shuts off. It is not a knock or a bang, and it is not the whistle of a valve. In many Laguna Niguel homes, this sound is the hot water pipe itself moving.
Why hot pipes tick
Metal grows slightly longer as it heats. A long run of copper can expand enough to slide against a wood joist, a hole in a stud or a metal strap. Each tiny slip makes a tick or a creak. When the water cools, the pipe shrinks and the sound can return. The longer the run and the tighter the pipe is held, the louder it gets.
How it differs from other pipe noises
- Ticking or creaking that follows hot water use is thermal expansion.
- A single loud bang when a valve closes is water hammer.
- A high whistle usually points to a restricted valve or fitting.
- A steady hiss with nothing running can be a leak and should be checked quickly.
Where Laguna Niguel homes hear it
Neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill, Rancho Niguel, Marina Hills and the tracts near Crown Valley were mostly built from the 1970s through the 1990s. Many have long copper runs through attics and second-floor joists, held tight with metal straps. In two-story homes the hot line to the upstairs bathrooms often passes right over a bedroom, which is why the noise is so easy to notice at night.
Is it harmful?
The sound itself is harmless, but constant rubbing can wear through a pipe where it touches a nail plate or a metal strap. If the noise is in an area that has had leaks before, it is worth a look.
Ways to quiet it
- Add plastic isolators or cushioned clamps where pipes pass through framing.
- Enlarge tight holes so the pipe can slide freely.
- Lower the water heater temperature a little to reduce expansion.
- On a repipe, choose a material and support method that does not grip and release.
Why PEX-A is quieter
PEX-A expands with heat too, but it is flexible and soft compared to copper, so it does not snap against framing the same way. On a repipe we use plastic supports and sleeves at bored holes, leave room for movement on long runs and secure lines with clips designed for PEX. Work is permitted and inspected through the City of Laguna Niguel, with water from Moulton Niguel Water District.
Related reading
See how a repipe through the attic is done or learn what a dielectric union does at the water heater. Neighbors can visit Dana Point, Aliso Viejo and Laguna Beach, or see every city we serve at repipeinc.com.
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Repipe OC, 23821 Hillhurst Drive, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677, (949) 524-2362, CSLB #1087885 C-36.
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Written by Repipe OC · CSLB #1087885 C-36 · 23821 Hillhurst Drive, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 · (949) 524-2362