Avoid the Blows of the Dreaded Water Hammer
The water hammer is not a tool or a wrestling move. Even if you don’t know a thing about plumbing, you’ve probably heard of it, however – or have heard it, at least. It’s that noise like someone is striking the pipes with a hammer when the tap is shut off, and it isn’t a good thing.
Many times, it means the pipes are weakening due to water pressure inside the pipes. It doesn’t have to be the sink, either. It may well be a dishwasher, toilet, or washing machine that’s acting up, but sometimes it’s difficult to place, because the hammering effect could be anywhere the pipes flow.
About the Water Hammer
Sometimes known as hydraulic shock, water hammers occur when the water in a pipe stops or suddenly changes direction, creating excess pressure inside the pipe. A shockwave is created which moves along the pipe, creating that hammering noise. Often, it does more than that. A strong enough shockwave can cause the pipe to collapse, which is a whole set of other problems.
Getting Rid of the Water Hammer
Plumbers who have experience with these matters know the cause and the solution. Any pipes that are well-made will have air chambers or cushions inside them to compress the air within, so the resulting shockwave produced by changes in water pressure do not hammer against the pipe. Sometimes, however, no matter how well the pipe is made, it can still develop problems, because pressurised water absorbs air over time, which fills the air chambers with water.
Well-made pipes are fairly easy to fix. A plumber can simply turn off the water behind the air chamber, then open the tap. The excess water can drain, the air chamber will fill with air again, and the hammering will be gone.
The water hammer effect can also be caused by minerals or other residue from the water, which clog the pipe enough to create an imbalance of water pressure, but not enough to stop the flow of water completely. Again, someone skilled in plumbing knows how to clear out the residue and let the water flow freely.
The main problem with the water hammer is, in many cases, being able to locate it. The water pressure can be anywhere in the line leading to the affected fixture. A talented plumber can follow the difficulty to its source and not only fix it, but make sure it doesn’t return.
