Have just moved into a three story house with exposed copper and PVS discharge pipes in the basement.
Have noticed that after running hot water for a few moments, that we get what can best described as a “cracking” noise. Asked a plumber about it and he said that the sound is a result of the cold pipes expanding and contracting due to the different water temperatures.
Find the noise moderately annoying, but it seems to come and go fairly quickly. I’m also a bit worried that this will eventually cause a leak due to the movement of the pipe.
I’m relatively sure that this isn’t water hammer as I’ve read many descriptions. Any thoughts on controlling this noise, insulating the exposed discharge pipes in the basement, etc?