Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Quieting Bathroom Pipes

I'd love to dampen the sound in my bathroom pipes. I've been to soundproofing.com, but I'm wondering if some of the stuff available at my local big box would be effective in reducing noise.
Any thoughts?


Thanks,

If it is water pipes..........use pipe insulation wrapped with fiberglass tape.


If it is drain lines, take use of the space between studs and use fiberglass batts of insulation and fill up the cavity.

Are the pipes moving around in the walls, or is it water hammer?

How old is the house? Perhaps the air chambers have become water-logged? The air chambers aren't anything special, just sections of capped nipple that sit above the faucet. Since the chamber is capped, there is no place for the air to go, so it stays there and acts as a cushion. Sometimes the air can be absorbed into the water.

You might try draining all the pipes and try to empty the air chambers. Turn off the supply, open all valves and faucets, including the basement. Wait some time, and restore the water supply. See if it helps.

It's probably too late to install insulators on the pipes. They are plastic sleeves that are a tight fit, keeping the pipes from vibrating within the walls.

Thanks for the info!

The pipes are all accessible so I can insulate. I did notice that the copper brackets used to hold the pipe in place in the wall are very loose. Am I better off with those tight, with some kind of isolation in between, or replaced with something else like a PVC pipe bracket? Again, I'm mainly concerned with reducing noise.

Thanks!

Steve,

Thanks for responding. My house was built in 1979. It is a split level where the bathrooms and kitchen are not grouped together and I have some very long runs of pipe. It doesn't sound like water hammer to me. When I have heard water hammer it's a lot more violent sound. I am curious about the air chamber though. I don't see a capped nipple on my existing shower valve. Is it faucets only? Is it only on older fixtures?

Thanks,

Carl