Banging Noise - Can't Sleep!!

[Jrseygirl]

I have been dealing with a banging noise in my building for some time now that has progressively gotten more frequent and I am apparently the only one who is complaining about it. I'm sure others can probably hear it, but it is not waking them at night as it is me, so I guess they don't feel the need to mention it. The building has done everything they can in regards to the boiler (changing steam traps, etc) and then we moved onto the elevator thinking that may be the cause since I share a wall with the elevator, but that doesn't seem to be it either. It is not the loud clanking noise of a boiler problem (like someone hammering a pipe), but more of a distant 'thud-thud' inside the walls that is louder when my ear is against the pillow. I can feel a light vibration in the floor sometimes too when it happens. This sometimes occurs at night (8,9,10,11) and sometimes briefly in the middle of the night (2,3,4), but mostly occurs in the morning from 530-8 on and off, but frequently. It always wakes me up and now happens every single morning. Some mornings are worse than others and it used to happen once in a while and has slowly gotten worse. First I hear a light humming sound, then this thud-thud sound and sometimes it is followed by a 2 second rush of water in the walls (but not always). I don't know if this is some piping problem that has nothing to do with the boiler, but more with running water? A friend said it sounds like a pipe that needs to be re-pitched, but if so, how do you detect that? There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to when it happens or how long it persists. All I know is I am EXHAUSTED and literally have not slept in months. I'm not sure what to do except move, which I really don't want to do. I didn't know if this problem would maybe sound familiar to someone who could offer some advice. If it is some pipe in the wall, I don't know how to go about determining that. I've tried recording the sound, but because it is in the walls and so distant, it doesn't pick it up. I've also tried having the doorman come up to hear it so someone else can hear what I'm hearing, but it has stopped by the time they come up. The noise could occur and last for 2 minutes or it could go on and off for an hour. I just wish others were hearing it and complaining as it would be helpful in finding a solution.

If anyone can offer any help I would be incredibly grateful!

Thanks!

[Emeraldstar]

Hi All
Sometimes when another tenant has a washing machine the hook up installed can create a sound called water hammer from the force during the change in washer cycles. I'm only guessing but it sounds like a washer because of your description combined with the vibration mentioned. A strong spin cycle can make the vibe. Just my take?

[Jrseygirl]

Thanks Emeraldstar. Unfortunately I don't think that's it. I do think water hammering may be the problem, but not from a washing machine as our washing machines are in the basement and not in individual units. As well, I mostly hear it in the early morning hours (5,6AM) when people aren't doing wash. I was thinking it could be water hammer caused when people start showering in the morning and causing an abrupt change in water pressure going through the pipes, but sometimes I hear it at 2-3AM or crazy hours of the night. I don't know if the water settles somewhere and causes a noise. My building says there is nothing more they can do at this point as they can't call a plumber to come about a problem they've never heard. I'm trying to get one of our doormen up to my unit when the problem occurs, but sometimes it just does it for like 2 minutes and then stops (and then may start up again 2 minutes, 20 minutes or 2 hours later). There is no rhyme or reason so I'm afraid I may be screwed! I was hoping perhaps someone else had this problem and had advice on how it got resolved (or has some plumbing expertise!). Again, if more people were complaining about it, the building would most likely make more effort to try and find a solution, but unfortunately it's just me.

Thanks again.

[Emeraldstar]

Hi All
I don't recall the site but there is one for supers that is like Tenant.Net & it allows view of posts. Maybe it can help with some info on water hammer?
That said, just for info sake, in my bld there have been washers in apts which is not allowed since we too have a laundry room. It had created many issues such as hammer. Since it's not permitted the tenants were doing laundry at odd hours when the source could not be determined by the super since his office is opened during days. We actually had someone doing laundry service for others from their apt. Good Luck

[Jrseygirl]

Thanks Emerald Star. Again, I really don't think it's a washing machine situation. I was talking to the night doorman and he thinks it's the water boiler. Apparently there is a little alarm that goes of at the front desk when the water gets to a certain level and he told me that it goes off every night, around 4-5AM, which is when I usually hear the noise. He said sometimes the water goes over the thing (I don't remember the technical words he used to describe exactly what goes on down there) and makes a banging noise that he has heard himself. He verified that it can happen at any time, but primarily happens during those hours and that is exactly what happens - that I hear it sometimes in waking hours, but mostly during those night hours. We are in the midst of comparing hours of when he hears the alarm and when I hear the noise. Looking into more information, but I am praying this is it as I am continuing to spend my weekends apartment searching when I don't even want to move!

Thanks for your help!!

[Emeraldstar]

Hi All

Thanks for the info about the possiable source. Please post the results of your comparison. Good to know what other causes create hammer.
Good luck