Pipes get jolted: is it a problem?
 

Hi,

Since about two weeks ago, whenever someone shuts off the kitchen
faucet on the first floor, the pipes throught the house, all the way
up to the third floor, experience quite a jolt. Since this started
happening abruptly, does that mean that something has come loose
somewhere? And should I be concerned about it?

Many thanks in advance,

Aaron

Pipes get jolted: is it a problem?
 

Aaron Fude wrote:
Hi,

Since about two weeks ago, whenever someone shuts off the kitchen
faucet on the first floor, the pipes throught the house, all the way
up to the third floor, experience quite a jolt. Since this started
happening abruptly, does that mean that something has come loose
somewhere? And should I be concerned about it?

Sounds like either the supply pressure from the city if you're on a
municipal supply or your pressure regulator valve stuck open if you have
one. Water hammer indicates high pressure; check it first.

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Pipes get jolted: is it a problem?
 

Aaron Fude wrote:

Hi,

Since about two weeks ago, whenever someone shuts off the kitchen
faucet on the first floor, the pipes throught the house, all the way
up to the third floor, experience quite a jolt. Since this started
happening abruptly, does that mean that something has come loose
somewhere? And should I be concerned about it?

It's possible that you have air chambers in your plumbing that have
become filled with water so they aren't doing their job. Air chambers
aren't complicated, just a T fitting and an extra length of vertical
pipe above a sink etc. connection that ends with a cap. The air trapped
in the pipe that goes nowhere acts to cushion any water hammer. Over
time the air in the air chamber pipe could dissolve into the water in
the pipes. The solution is to drain all of the water pipes completely,
than turn the water back on to refill and you are all set. Always turn
the water on slowly when refilling house pipes and bleed the air slowly
at the faucets until all of the air is gone.

Draining and refilling would only sold the problem if the original
plumbers did leave air chambers in the pipes inside the walls.

Pipes get jolted: is it a problem?
 

MLD wrote:

"dpb" wrote in message ...
...
Not quite correct--sudden stopping of the flow of water is the prime
cause of water hammer. That's the reason for having air chambers
(accumulators) in the system--to absorb the "blow"

But if it hasn't been an issue previously, it's a good indication there
may be a pressure problem now...it's the first thing to check as I said.
If that turns out to not be a problem, then the next step is to see if
there are any accumulators in the system or not -- most houses don't
have any and are fine w/o them. If OP's is in that category, he didn't
have hammer before and does now, then they're not the culprit--may as
well find that out before searching further.

--

Pipes get jolted: is it a problem?
 

Again, pressure is of little consequence in water hammering. You can get a
nice bang out of 4 psi if you stop it suddenly.

s


"dpb" wrote in message ...
But if it hasn't been an issue previously, it's a good indication there
may be a pressure problem now...it's the first thing to check as I said.
If that turns out to not be a problem, then the next step is to see if
there are any accumulators in the system or not -- most houses don't have
any and are fine w/o them. If OP's is in that category, he didn't have
hammer before and does now, then they're not the culprit--may as well find
that out before searching further.

--

Pipes get jolted: is it a problem?
 

S. Barker wrote:
Again, pressure is of little consequence in water hammering. You can get a
nice bang out of 4 psi if you stop it suddenly.


Again, if there has not been an issue of water hammer before and there
now is, increased pressure from a stuck reducing valve is a condition to
check. BTDT, didn't print the t-shirt.

I have nowhere said there is any cause other than the cessation of
flow--the deal is, high pressure increases flow.

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