Too much noise downstairs when someone showers upstairs or flushes.

Question

We bought a brand new home a few months ago and we have been having this problem since the day we moved in. If someone runs the shower or flushes the toilet we can literally know what's going on upstairs. There's a noise from pipes when the toilet flushes or when the shower runs. At first, we thought it's a new home so it might take some to settle in. But its been over 6 months now and I somehow started to feel that this might be some sound proofing problem. It's so embarrassing especially when we have guests. Does most homeowners have this problem or is it just me being paranoid? How do I fix this problem of a toilet making noise after a flush and a noisy shower?

Rocco A · Answer

Most new construction has this problem especially if its built by a track home builder. They used to stop this by using a cast iron main running from 2 floor down to the crawl. This eliminates that pro

Rocco A · Answer

Problem with sound and you could stilldo this with a pretty large mess. Another option is to try and insulate around the main if you open the wall 
At the very top you can hire a insulation company to blow in some cellulose insulation to help dampen the noise

The Garden Frog with C Renee · Answer

Yes many homes have this problem and it stinks! The only option, as Rocco A, states it so tear out the ceiling/walls and put in insulation or some sort of sound proofing material. You can soften some of the noise by having rugs and curtains in the bathroom as well. It helps some. Material absorbs sound. Unless you build a home yourself and pay the extra to sound proof bathrooms, most homes echo toilets and water running.

Vidhya Rao · Answer

Although it sucks to hear the hard truth, looks like that's the story of most new houses (kinda solace ;)...) Since its a brand new house I am not sure if tearing walls down would be a good choice for us. But I will update with more insulation when I plan to update my kitchen and family room. Thanks for both your suggestions....

Denise Dee Marcucci · Answer

the house we just bought was built in 1995 and we have that problem..never noticed as just two of us but hubby took a shower when i was in the kitchen and the noise was like it was in the same room..especially with the tub running, once shower turned on not as bad..seniors so not ripping out walls..will live with it...we owned a house in the same area in the early 90's, house was 5 years old when we bought it and did not have that problem

BC · Answer

I have the same issue with my house. I am looking to insulate the drain pipes with some material and fill in insulation in other hallow areas. I am not sure if this is going to help.

Too much noise downstairs when someone showers upstairs or flushes.

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Too much noise downstairs when someone showers upstairs or flushes.

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