Do the pipes in your home make a loud noise after turning off the water? Commonly referred to as water hammer, hydraulic shock is not just an annoying sound your house makes. Water hammer can also cause major problems to your homes plumbing. If left unfixed, you could develop leaks in supply lines, damage valves, and even create a catastrophic failure like blowing a hole in your pipe or valve wall.
What Causes Water Hammer?
Water Hammer, or hydraulic shock, is caused by a pressure surge when water is shut off. This creates a shock wave that shakes the pipes and valves causing the hammer sound, potentially damaging your homes plumbing.
What Is The Big Deal?
Addressing the issue before it becomes a problem will be much cheaper that fixing it after you have damage. Emergency service calls usually cost the customer more than planned work.
What Can Be Done?
There are a few areas to address the issue in order to stop water hammer. First, the issue should be investigated to determine where to start. The most common cause of hydraulic shock is high water pressure, this should be addressed before attempting any other solutions.
Pipe Hangers
Missing or damaged pipe hangers could also be causing noise, replace hangers or install at the area where banging is occurring.
Air Chambers
Pipe air chambers work by absorbing the Hydraulic shock with the use or air and shock absorption. Placed near a problem area, this can minimize the pressure created.
Mechanical Water Shock Arrestors
In some cases, a stronger mechanism is needed to minimize shock. Mechanical arrestors can handle more pressure and are used in commercial, industrial, and in apartment buildings where more pressure is necessary. Check out water hammer arrestors at Home Depot.
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