How to Bleed Water Pipes

If you are experiencing creaking, shaking faucets or even loud banging in your water pipes, it may be a sign that you need to bleed them. This happens typically if they are either waterlogged or if air has accumulated inside.

Whichever the reason, bleeding your water pipes can be a simple task. Here are the materials that you will need along with the steps to help guide you through the process.

Step 1 - Check Water Supply

The first thing that you will need to do is shut off any appliances that may be on in that area, such as a dishwasher or even washing machine. Then, turn off the water supply completely to ensure you have no problems.

Step 2 - Fasten Spigot

The next thing that you need to do is locate the spigot that is the lowest outside of your house. The reason for this is that all of the sitting water for your plumbing system will be here. You will need to attach a hose to the end of that spigot.

When you are doing this, you want to make sure that the other end of the hose, where the water will be coming out, is not anywhere near the house. You may place the end in a large bucket, or you can just allow it to send the water into grass away from the home. This is very important to keep in mind as you do not want any of the water flooding into the home and damaging the foundation.

Step 3 - Open Faucets and Drain

Then, go into the home and open several different faucets. You will need to go to each floor of the home, even the basement, and open a few of the faucets there. They will need to be kept open until the water outside in the hose completely drains. Once all of the water has finished draining and you can go a few minutes without seeing any more, you can close the outside spigot and remove the hose.

Step 4 - Turn Water Supply On

Now, turn the main water supply back on in your home. Allow the faucets to stay open inside until the spitting sound that they make is no longer happening. This can typically take just a few seconds or minutes; each home will differ. When the sound is finished and not heard again for a few minutes, close each one of the faucets from top to bottom.

Once you are done with this process you can begin using your faucets and water supply normally again. These 4 steps should help to fix the problem. If you often have trouble with your faucets making noise, you may want to repeat this process again. If it continues after several attempts, you will most likely need to contact your plumber. Some of the noises being heard can also be due to a lack of insulation in your plumbing or other problems.