I feel your pain on the bathroom water park situation... had a similar experience myself when I first moved into my place. Thought I'd save some cash by DIY-ing a minor leak under the sink. Long story short, ended up flooding half the kitchen floor before realizing plumbing isn't exactly my strong suit. Lesson learned the hard way, haha.
But seriously, zoning radiant heating is solid advice. When we renovated our basement last year, the contractor suggested zoning it out, and at first I thought he was just upselling me on something unnecessary. But after talking to a few neighbors who'd had leaks under their floors (one guy literally had to rip out half his living room flooring), I decided it was worth it for peace of mind alone. Now if something goes wrong, at least it's contained to one area instead of turning into a full-blown disaster.
Congrats on finally silencing those noisy pipes though—it's amazing how much stress that constant banging and clanging can cause without you even realizing it. When we first moved in, our pipes sounded like someone was playing drums every time we turned on the shower or dishwasher. After weeks of trying every DIY fix online (foam insulation, pipe clamps, you name it), we finally bit the bullet and called in a plumber. Turns out it was just some loose fittings and air pockets trapped in there causing all the racket. Took him less than an hour to fix what we'd been struggling with for months... go figure.
Anyway, glad you're finally able to enjoy some quiet again—makes such a difference when your home actually feels relaxing instead of stressful.
Zoning radiant heating definitely has its perks, but honestly, it's not always necessary. I've worked on plenty of homes where a well-installed single-zone system has run smoothly for years without issues. The key is proper installation and regular maintenance—most leaks or failures I've seen were due to rushed installs or cutting corners on materials rather than lack of zoning.
Also, about the noisy pipes... air pockets and loose fittings are common culprits, sure, but sometimes it's actually a pressure issue. I once had a client who kept calling plumbers out repeatedly for banging pipes; turned out the home's water pressure was way too high, causing all sorts of racket and eventually damaging fixtures. Installing a simple pressure regulator solved the issue permanently.
Glad you sorted yours out though—nothing worse than constant plumbing noise driving you nuts. Just thought I'd mention another angle since sometimes the simplest solution isn't always obvious at first glance.
Totally agree about pressure issues—had a similar thing happen at one of my rentals. Tenant kept complaining about banging noises, plumber checked everything twice...turned out city water pressure was crazy high. Simple regulator fixed it right away, lesson learned.
Pressure regulators are usually the fix, but sometimes it's worth checking if pipes were properly secured in the first place. Even normal pressure can cause banging if lines aren't strapped down right...seen that overlooked plenty of times.
Totally agree about securing pipes—it's one of those simple things people overlook way too often. Had a similar issue at my place; spent ages messing with pressure valves and regulators, only to find out the pipes were barely strapped down behind the drywall. Felt pretty silly after that discovery, haha. Honestly, a few extra clamps and some foam padding can save you a ton of headaches down the road. Glad you got yours sorted, though...nothing beats finally having quiet pipes again.
