Obviously it has something to do with water, but I haven't been able to track it down.
Basically, whenever someone turns on the water in my house, I hear a dripping sound coming from the ceiling above the living room. At first it sounds like a fast drip, then gradually slows down and stops. This is over a period of 30-45 seconds. If the water's running longer than that, there is no dripping sound.
I've gone up into the attic to look around but we haven't been able to replicate the issue while I've been up there. Whatever is causing the noise apparently has a "cooldown" period of some sort.
What could this be? At first I thought it was a leak, but then wouldn't it be dripping all the time and not stop after 30-45 seconds while the water is still running? (and shouldn't I have had a flooded attic by now?).
Best Answer
Sounds like a pipe expanding or contracting to me. When the water runs through the pipes (even the drains), the temperature change causes the pipes to move. Usually where they are passing through a wood surface, you'll hear an occasional sound, not unlike a drip, that will stop when the pipe reaches it's final temperature.
If the sound coincides with the hot water reaching the fixture (or extra cold water from outside in the winter) then you shouldn't have anything to worry about.