My refrigerator clunks when I flush my toilet??

Question

Every time I flush a toilet in my house as soon as it's done filling and the water shuts off my refrigerator makes a loud clunking sound. My fridge is hooked up to an ice maker so I assume it has something to do with the water pressure.
Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Now that is just funny :)

Answer 2

Flush Refrigerator

Answer 3

That's called "water hammer" -- consider what happens inside a pipe when water is rushing through it, and suddenly a valve closes and abruptly stops that mass of water -- it's like a long liquid "hammer". It causes tremendous instantaneous pressure, which often shakes pipes and can cause pipes to burst (particularly washing machine hoses).

There are water-hammer arrestors you (or a plumber) can add to the end of a long run of pipe. They typically consist of a piston backed by a head of pressurized air. When the pressure spikes due to a water hammer, the piston moves and allows the moving column of water to come to a stop less abruptly. Other designs use a dome configuration which in similar fashion, contains a trapped air space which "cushions" the moving water as it comes to a stop.

Answer 4

A device called a water hammer arrestor would most likely solve your problem.usually a 1/2 NPT thread you can install on the cold waterlines usually replace a 1/2 drain valve with the arrestor should take the hammering away

Answer 5

When you flush, water is thrown out. Probably water also may be drained out of your ice making machine also. Or rather the water level gets low and your ice making machine's motor starts and thereby acting as load. This may cause a drop in supply voltage which is affecting your fridge. This could be the reason.

Answer 6

Installation of a water cushion also called an air chamber will stop this from happening. Because water is non-compressible, when the toilet valve shuts off, the sudden stopping of the water in the pipes creates a banging sound in the pipes also refered to as "water hammer".

Answer 7

Water hammer makes the clunk because your system takes a big gulp of air to eqalize the pressure in the line. You can pick up hammer arresters at your local hardware store.

Answer 8

The most common is that the plumber who installed didn't secure the pipe in the wall so it moves with the pressure decrees or increase assuming you're ice maker hookup is located in the wall and not hooked up under the sink if it is under the sink you would hear it there.
Either way that is what it is.

Answer 9

It could be water hammer, that can be corrected by an arrestor placed in the cold water piping. My initial thought was that you have the refrigerator too close to the toilet.

Answer 10

Sounds like water hammer. All you can do is tighten up the strapping on the pipes, and install expansion chambers. {Tee with a dead end pipe sticking up capped off} . Check the pipe going to the icemaker and secure it. That's a new one! If the toilet is in the same general area {shared wall} you have a project on your hands. Good luck.

Answer 11

yes

they make a device that can stop that
it installs on the cold water line
what it does is the device has an air pocket inside
that takes the pressure of the shut off of the water
and softens it.