Loud Pipes

When drains work properly, water swirls around the edges of the main drain pipe on the way to the basement, rather than falling down the middle. When it does fall down the middle it makes a lot of noise. Most new houses have plastic pipes that are less effective at muffling the sound than old cast-iron pipes. The only solution I have is to open the wall and fill the cavity around the plumbing stack with fiberglass to muffle the sound. If you are lucky enough to have the pipe run alongside a closet wall, go in through the closet to minimize the wall repair job.