Yeah, totally agree—arrestors can be handy, but they're usually just masking the real issue. Had a similar thing happen at my place; turned out the pipes were rubbing against a joist. Couple clamps and some foam padding later, silence... finally.
Nice job getting to the root cause—always satisfying when you nail down exactly what's causing the racket. Had a similar issue myself, and yeah, arrestors were my first thought too. But after poking around, realized it was actually loose brackets letting the pipes vibrate against the drywall. Tightened things up, added some felt padding, and problem solved. You're right though, arrestors often just mask symptoms rather than fixing the actual issue. Good on you for taking the extra step and sorting it properly. Feels great when the house finally quiets down, doesn't it?
Had a similar experience myself, though mine ended up being a bit trickier. Thought I'd nailed it down to loose brackets too, tightened everything up, and it seemed fine for a week or two. Then the noise came creeping back—just quieter and sneakier this time. Drove me nuts. Eventually found out it was actually the pipes expanding and contracting against a stud behind the drywall. Had to open up the wall a bit and slip some foam insulation around the pipe. Not fun, but it finally did the trick.
Makes me wonder though... how do you know when you've really solved the root cause versus just quieting things temporarily? Seems like plumbing noises can be sneaky little devils, always finding new ways to annoy you. Curious if anyone else has had a "fixed" issue come back to haunt them later.
Yeah, plumbing noises are tricky—I don't think you ever really know for sure if you've solved them permanently. I had something similar happen with a dripping sound. Thought I'd fixed it by replacing a valve, but nope... it came back quieter, just enough to annoy me at night. Turned out it was condensation dripping inside the vent pipe. Makes me wonder if there's always another hidden cause lurking behind the one we find first?
Yeah, plumbing noises can definitely feel like chasing ghosts sometimes...you fix one thing and another pops up. Condensation in vent pipes is sneaky—good catch on that one. Usually, once you pinpoint the root cause like you did, you're pretty much set. But plumbing has a funny way of surprising us now and then. Just keep an ear out, trust your instincts, and remember you're already ahead by tackling it yourself. Nice job!
