Water hammer in flat whilst no appliances in use

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Hi,

I have had a certain issue for around a year now (it's annoying but I have had a lot of stuff on, so I have not been prioritising fully getting to the bottom of it). Basically, at varying points of the day/week, there will be a set period of time (sometimes up to an hour, sometimes less) where every 20 seconds or so there will be a loudish banging of pipes from the wall behind where my toilet is. I live in the 4th and top floor of a block of flats.

It seems to me that this is related to the cold water system in the block/my flat. When I feel the cold water pipe which extends from my boiler at the same time as the knocking, I feel the vibration in the pipe. Also, if this noise is frequently happening for a given period of time, and I turn my cold water tap on, the noise stops momentarily until the tap is turned off again. Lastly, in periods where the noise is not happening, if I turn my cold water tap on and then off suddenly, the same noise takes place, but only once.

What I find confusing about it is that it happens when no appliances are on in my flat. I have asked my neighbour downstairs and person through the wall in the adjacent block if they hear the noise and they do not. This suggests to me, as my factor and a plumber the factor got out to the property told me, that the knocking seems to be coming from "your [my] pipes".

The plumber who came out to the property has quoted me a figure of over £500 to open up the wall and to bind what they consider to be loose pipes; and then to reinstate the wall. However, first of all this seems dear to me, and also I am concerned that I might be paying for something that:

A. Might not fix the issue
B. Might not necessarily be my problem.

I can see that in this situation - https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/water-hammer-in-block-of-flats.476314/ - it turned out that a water hammer effect was being caused in someone's flat by a defective valve in a toilet cistern in another flat.

I am based in Scotland and had contacted Scottish water about the issue primarily, as I thought there could be a possibility the water pressure could be too high in the building. I was told the water pressure is fine.

The noise rarely comes on late at night (making me think it relates to appliances being on elsewhere), but it came on late the other night when I had my dishwasher on. I'm also sure I heard the flat in the next block's washing machine/dishwasher on the same time as the knocking before. Furthermore, sometimes I hear a sound of gushing water somewhere, like a tap has been turned on, and then when the gushing stops I hear the noise one solitary time.

Anyway, that's quite lengthy, but any help or steer that someone who is less of a layman than me in this are would be most appreciated :).

Thanks.
 
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Good evening, I think maybe one of your tap washer is gone , or check ball valve if you have cold water tank in the flat which is connected to the cylinder, or can install Mini Expansion Vessel Shock Arrestor on your main cold water supply pipe.
 
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Sounds like loose pipes. I just happened to fix a similar issue today.
 
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Sounds like loose pipes. I just happened to fix a similar issue today.

Thanks for your response. Would you still expect it to be loose pipes, belonging to my flat, despite the fact that this happens when no appliance in my flat is on?
 

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