How do I get rid of a “water hammer” in my plumbing?
Every time we flush the toilet, and just about at the point when the tank is refilled, there is a terrible thumping and rattling from the pipes. If I quickly turn the water on in the tub it goes away, so I’ve been flushing and then turning on the water in the tub as a pre-emptive strike, and that seems to work, but the rest of the family isn’t as diligent and it gets so loud I’m afraid something is going to happen to the plumbing. Any advice, suggestions, insights?
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December 29th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
The link below will give you great and complete information on the "water hammer" problem. It is a real problem and can cause failure of the water pipes and other appliances in the system. A simple solution is to reduce the water supply by turning down the supply at the street or replacing the washing machine hoses with new longer ones that can help to absorb the shock. In aviation, we have accumulators or vertical pipes filled with air to absorb the shock, but this might not be allowed by local codes. It may be a good idea to replace the washing machine hoses anyway as they can fail and flood your house. I just happened to be near my washer when a hose broke or our house would have been flooded.
You can get a water hammer arrester at just about any plumbing supply store. At your local hardware or home store look for a pre-packaged water hammer arrestor that attaches to a standard washing machine cold water outlet. The ones I have seen come in one of those clear plastic display packages, and look like a copper tube with hose connections. Check the return policy of the store before you buy it, will they take it back if it doesn’t work? Make sure you keep all the packaging. Install it per the directions on the package. If you are installing it on a dishwasher fill, you will probably need some adapters to make it fit. If it doesn’t work, remove it and return it.