Turned out it was just trapped air working its way out—went away on its own after a day or two.
Glad you mentioned that—had the same issue recently after shutting off water to install a dishwasher. Does anyone know if there's a quicker way to clear out the air, or is waiting it out pretty much the only option? Those noises really test my patience...
I've had luck turning on all the faucets in the house at once for a few minutes—seems to speed things along safely. But now I'm wondering, could repeatedly having air trapped cause any long-term pipe damage or issues down the line?
Nah, occasional air pockets won't wreck your pipes long-term. But if it's happening a lot, you might wanna check your pressure regulator or valves—pipes grumbling once in a while is fine, but constant complaining... that's another story.
Yeah, spot on about checking valves and regulators. Also worth considering your water heater—sometimes sediment buildup can cause similar noises. Happened at my place; flushing it out quieted things down quite a bit. Pipes been chill ever since... mostly.
Had a similar issue in one of my older properties. Thought I had it nailed down to the water heater too, flushed it out thoroughly—twice actually—but the noises persisted. Turned out to be air trapped in the pipes themselves. Took me a bit to figure it out, but here's what finally helped:
1. Shut off the main water supply.
2. Opened all faucets, starting from the highest point (upstairs bathroom) and working down to the lowest (basement laundry sink).
3. Waited for everything to drain completely—took maybe 15 minutes.
4. Closed all faucets again, starting from the basement up.
5. Turned the water back on slowly and opened each faucet again briefly to bleed out remaining air.
After that, things quieted down nicely—though I still get an occasional creak or groan when temps swing drastically outside. Guess some pipes just like to chat now and then...