I have read some other posts on this forum and have some ideas. However, I will try to be more specific.
About every 5-10 minutes there is a clunking noise under our house. Our house was built in 1991 (I think), is a large rambler (3400sqft), and I have total access underneath it. This noise, or at least its freqency/consitancy, is realtively new. We may have occasionally heard it before but nothing like every five minutes. During my last 45min researching this topic online, I have heard it about ten times and it is staring to drive me nuts! It is not dependent on turning water on or off-- it just does it whenever. No new appliances or plumbing work has been done on the house since we moved in 5+ years ago.
I have seen the recommendation on this forum and others saying "Back in the 60's we were required to to put shock absorbers,(air chambers) on all bath lavatorys and kitchen sinks. Over time water and condensate...
Does this apply to a house built in the 90's?
Thank you in advance for anyone who replies

Hi Jo,

"I have seen the recommendation on this forum and others saying "Back in the 60's we were required to to put shock absorbers,(air chambers) on all bath lavatorys and kitchen sinks. Over time water and condensate...
Does this apply to a house built in the 90's?"

Air chambers have been mandated by code in ALL buildings for over 40 years.

What kind of water system do you have? Pump? City water? Let me know, Tom

We are on a well. I did forget to mention that I am watering more than ever trying to keep a lawn and garden green.
Thanks for a quick reply.

Deep or shallow well pump?
Dies the pump come on and off a lot? Do the air chambers first and see if that doesn't help the "bang", (BANGS are not good for your pipes). Let mt copy the instructions again for you.
Back in the 60's we were required to to put shock absorbers,(air chambers) on all bath lavatorys and kitchen sinks. Over time water and condensate built up in them and they must be recharged. First turn off the house at the main house shut off valve. Then open hot and cold faucets at the farthest bathroom to prevent air lock.(This is important.) You will find under each fixture little brass or chrome valves. These are called angle stops. With a small pail held under the angle stop to catch the run off look under the handle of the stop and you will see a nut with the stem running through it. This is called the bonnet packing nut. Put your wrench on it and back it off counterclockwise. Now open the stop and remove the stem and washer assembly, The stop will begain to drain. When it has quit draining reassemble the stop and move on to the next one. Do this on each one of your angle stops. There will be six of them in a two bath house. When you are done, close off the faucets you have opened, turn on the water to the house, and give yourself a pat on the back.
You have just recharged your air chambers and saved yourself a hefty service call bill. Let me know Tom

Not sure on the well pump question. Our well is 160ft, about 100ft away from the holding take (and pump?), and in our carport outside. Since it is outside, I don't hear it turn on and off unless I happen to be out in the carport loading the car or something.
As far as "This is called the bonnet packing nut. Put your wrench on it and back it off counterclockwise. Now open the stop and remove the stem and washer assembly" I always just thought those were valves under the sink and nothing more. I guess that means just take them all apart and put them back together again.
Thanks again

I just went outside and listened to the tank and it "clicked on" and then a hissing sound with about the same freqency as the clunking sound. However, being that I was outside, I could not correlate it with clunking sound inside the house. By the way, the water is currently running outside.
Thanks again

Let me know what happens when you recharge the air chambers.

Cheers, Tom

Could it be that when the well pump kicks in the sudden boost in water pressure is moving a pipe in the crawspace enough to cause this sound?

Shunned opened up a new possibility. It could very well be that the initial surge of the pump would cause water hammer if the air chambers were water logged and needed recharging. Good thinking, outside the box, by shunned.
10 times in 45 minutes without opening or closing a valve would seem to indicate a leak that's causing the pump to cycle on and off. While recharging the air chambers may take the "bang" away shunned might just have gone directly to the cause. To test for a leak turn the pump off at the breaker box and, without running any water monitor the pressure gage. It should remain steady. If it drops then you have a leak in the pressure side of the system or a faulty check valve in the suction side that allows the pump to lose pressure and kick on and off. Good luck and let us know. Tom

Shunned opened up a new possibility. It could very well be that the initial surge of the pump would cause water hammer if the air chambers were water logged and needed recharging. Good thinking, outside the box, by shunned.
10 times in 45 minutes without opening or closing a valve would seem to indicate a leak that's causing the pump to cycle on and off. While recharging the air chambers may take the "bang" away shunned might just have gone directly to the cause. To test for a leak turn the pump off at the breaker box and, without running any water monitor the pressure gage. It should remain steady. If it drops then you have a leak in the pressure side of the system or a faulty check valve in the suction side that allows the pump to lose pressure and kick on and off. Good luck and let us know. Tom
OK, thank you for info so far, but I have new information:
After crawling around under the house for 15 min. listening for the noise, I could not find a pipe making noise but instead, sounded like it was coming from where the Well Mate is or as we call it "the pump room" is. This is about 10 feet from the house where then the copper piping leaves the Well Mate, goes into cement, and then comes out into the crawl space.
So I sat quietly in the pump room for 5 mintues and listened. About 45 seconds after I hear the Well Mate "kick on" I hear the noise from the Well Mate-- at least I think it is coming from there. It just goes "blump, blump" for lack of a better word. I listened a few more times and same thing. My wife was inside and verified it was the same sound we are hearing in the house.
Does this change anything?
I sort of recharged the well chambers. I turned off the water at the Well Mate and then opened lots of faucets, espcially the lowest and farthest ones away. This didn't help.
Good new is all of this. While crawling under the far end of the house, I found live power for outdoor lighting or outlets. Now I FINALLY know where that light switch in the laundry room goes to!
Oh yea, I can't monitor the pressure gauge because it does not appear to be working. It is always reading zero.

10 times in 45 minutes without opening or closing a valve would seem to indicate a leak that's causing the pump to cycle on and off. While recharging the air chambers may take the "bang" away shunned might just have gone directly to the cause. To test for a leak turn the pump off at the breaker box and, without running any water monitor the pressure gage. It should remain steady. If it drops then you have a leak in the pressure side of the system or a faulty check valve in the suction side that allows the pump to lose pressure and kick on and off.

Replace the pressure gauge, check the air bladder in the tank and get back to me. Regards, Tom

Does the gauge control pressure or just read it? If it just reads it, then there is something else I should be buying at Home Depot as well to save me another trip to the store?
I checked the pressure at the top with a pump. It read about 41psi. In order to replace the pressure gauge I just turn off power, drain the tank, put on new gauge? Then what? Fill with water and then do I repressurize it by using the pump valve on top? How much pressure? What do I do first-- fill with water or repressurize it?
Thanks again.

Does the guage control pressure or just read it? If it just reads it, then there is something else I should be buying at Home Depot as well to save me another trip to the store?
I checked the pressure at the top with a pump. It read about 41psi. In order to replace the pressure gauge I just turn off power, drain the tank, put on new gauge? Then what? Fill with water and then do I repressurize it by using the pump valve on top? How much pressure? What do I do first-- fill with water or repressurize it?
Thanks again.

All a gauge does is read pressure. The pump control shuts the pumo on and off.
Well first you purchase a pressure gauge, Then shut the pump off at the breaker box. After the gauge's installed it will read zero until you turn the pump back on. For now leave the pump off. Now lets us calibrate the Bladder tank First check its integrity. Pop the tire pump valve on the tank. If you have water coming out then the tank's faulty. If air comes out the bladder's OK and you can proceed to step two. The pump control box has the settings on the case. Most are 20PSI cut in--40PSI cut out, some are 30 cut in
And 60 cut out. Check to see what your cut in pressure is and pressure the bladder tank up with a tire pump to 2 PSI under what the cut in pressure calls for on the control box. In other words if the cut in pressure's 20PSI the tank setting would read 18PSI. Now turn the pump back on,pressure up the system and let me know how it works. Good luck, Tom

For now leave the pump off. Now lets us calibrate the Bladder tank First check its integrity. Pop the tire pump valve on the tank. If you have water coming out then the tank's faulty. If air comes out the bladder's OK and you can proceed to step two. The pump control box has the settings on the case. Most are 20PSI cut in--40PSI cut out, some are 30 cut in
and 60 cut out. Check to see what your cut in pressure is and pressure the bladder tank up with a tire pump to 2 PSI under what the cut in pressure calls for on the control box. In other words if the cut in pressure's 20PSI the tank setting would read 18PSI.

No water coming out of the valve-- only air. I cannot find a pump control box with the settings you mentioned. There is a sticker on the pressure tank that has 20, 30, and 40psi on it and then 18, 28, and 38 psi referring to the 2psi difference. However, I don't know which one it is.
The only two boxes are both for electrical-- one for the submersable pump and one for the pressure tank (I think)
WHat is "cut in pressure"? The tire pump reading or the new valve I am installing?
I have replaced the gauge-- it is at zero.
The bike pump on top is reading zero.
Now I'm wondering if I should pump up the tank to a certain psi before turning it on... or turn it on and see if the higher pressure resumes after it begins to fill with water.
Thanks again.

Your control box should look like this. Tom

The cut in pressure is the point where the control box starts the pump motor.
The tank pressure should be 2PSI under the pressure that the pump starts when the system's drained down and the pump is off. The gauge will read zero until you pressure up the system. Follow the electric wires to locate the control box. Good luck, Tom

OK, before I read this last post, I simply turned on the power and let it fill back up. It leveled off around 39psi
I turned on the kitchen faucet and went out and watched the gauge.
It began dropping to about 34 psi and "clicked on". The pressure began to rise and after about 45 seconds it read about 52psi and then "clicked off" and made the "blump-blump" sound that started this whole ordeal (and the needle bounced a little). Then it started the cycle all over again. All of this was while the faucet was running inside.
There is nothing referring to psi inside, nor outside, of the control box.
Thanks again

For now leave the pump off. Now lets us calibrate the Bladder tank First check its integrity. Pop the tire pump valve on the tank.
I did not do this but intead just turned the power back on.

Check to see what your cut in pressure is and pressure the bladder tank up with a tire pump to 2 PSI under what the cut in pressure calls for on the control box.
So when the power was off AND the tank was empty (the tire pump was reading zero at this point), I should have pumped it up to 2psi under the cut in pressure (which is not on my box)?
Thanks again

OK, after looking a third time I found the ON 40 and OFF 60 number on the inside. There are no units of measurements with it so I don't know what they mean

Shut the pump off and open a faucet to relieve the pressure. You have a 40 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) cut in and a 60 PSI cut out. Your tank setting should read 38 PSI when you check the air iinjector valve. Regards, Tom

Shut the pump off and open a faucet to relieve the pressure. You have a 40 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) cut in and a 60 PSI cut out. Your tank setting should read 38 PSI when you check the air iinjector valve. Regards, Tom
Does open a faucet mean to drain the entire tank again?
When I drained it yesterday and had the power shut off to replace the valve-- it read 0psi with the bike pump.
I assume it will read zero again today after being drained with power off. If so, then I should pump it up to 38psi while it is drained and the power off before turning the power back on and letting it refill??
Thanks

Does open a faucet mean to drain the entire tank again?
When I drained it yesterday and had the power shut off to replace the valve-- it read 0psi with the bike pump.
I assume it will read zero again today after being drained with power off. If so, then I should pump it up to 38psi while it is drained and the power off before turning the power back on and letting it refill???
Thanks


You don't have to "drain" anything. Just shut the pimp down and open a faucet to drain off the pressure. The gauge will read zero umtil you pressure up the system.

"then I should pump it up(the bladder tank) to 38psi while it is drained and the power off before turning the power back on and letting it refill??

You got it! Let me know! Tom

Using a hand pump while standing on a ladder, I pumped on and off for over an hour and got it up to 20psi. Exhausted, I went over to the neighbors and borrowed their air compressor. It still took me another 15 min. to finally get it up to 36psi (close enough at this point for me).
Nothing really changed.
With a hose running, it drops down to about 33psi and kicks on; pressure then goes up to about 58psi and I hear almost a bouncing noise as is shuts off (the noise that started this whole investigation). Then needle jumps with this noise. Then it begins to fall and after 5-10 minutes it starts all over again.
Thanks a lot, but I may be about done for at this point. My wife says it is time to call the plumber and I have to admit defeat.

You have a tank you have to get on a ladder to recharge. Now I need to know the size and model# of your Well Mate Tank. I figured on a small bladder tank when I gave you directions for rechargi8ng. I need to know exactly what I'm dealing with. Sorry for the confusion. Tom

Well Mate Model WM-25WB

Well Mate Model WM-25WB

Why do you have such a large tank? Is there something about your system that I'm missing? Regards, tom

Why do you have such a large tank? Is there somthing about your system that I'm missing? regards, tom
I have no idea. It was there when I bought the house.

So far I have replaced the valve and put in around 35psi in the bladder (used to have 0psi).
The results are:
1. Now the pump runs for a couple minutes instead of 45 seconds
2. While watering the yard (with one sprinkler) the gauge will drop slower than before (now about 7 min, before about 3-4min.) before kicking on.
3. When it shuts off, the "bouncing noise" from the pressure tank is even louder

Wow! I wonder why they figured they needed one that big? I couldn't bring up any technical information so I contacted the manufacturer. Will get back to you as soon as I hear from him. Regards, Tom

Thanks.
There is something going on with that bladder. 24 hours later I am getting air in the pipes/faucets and sediment that I think is from me stirring up that tank with all that air.

I just heard back from the company. The correct setting for your WellMate tank is 4 PSI under cut in PSI. In your case 36 PSI. Perhaps a smaller bladder tank would serve you better. You have directions on how to recharge your tank. Do it and get back to me with the results. Have you checked the air bag inside the tank for integrity? There should be no water at all when you pop the air valve. Cheers, Tom

I just heard back from the company. The correct setting for your WellMate tank is 4 PSI under cut in PSI. In your case 36 PSI. Perhaps a smaller bladder tank would serve you better. You have directions on how to recharge your tank. Do it and get back to me with the results. Have you checked the air bag inside the tank for integrity? There should be no water at all when you pop the air valve. Cheers, Tom
If you look at one of my previous posts, I already recharged the tank and did get back to you with the results.
Thank you for all your help over the last week.

About the only thing I can suggest at this [point is to change the tank for a smaller bladder tank. I wish I could have helped more. Apologies and all that.regards Tom