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slight water hammer in upstairs bathroom

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slight water hammer in upstairs bathroom Joe 06-17-2008
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Posted by Joe on June 17, 2008, 12:16 am
in the winter it really rattles the pipes, in the summer it just has a
big vacuum sound. This only happens when someone turns off the cold
water very quickly and only in the one sink in the upstairs bathroom.
If they turn it off very slowly there is no problem so I was thinking
if I replaced the faucet handles with ones that don't turn off in one
big push. (the handle I have right now is a push up for on and push
down for off). Is there any easier way to stop this from happening? I
can't imagine the vibration is good for the pipes.

Radiant Heat 468x60
Posted by BobK207 on June 17, 2008, 1:08 am
> in the winter it really rattles the pipes, in the summer it just has a
> big vacuum sound. This only happens when someone turns off the cold
> water very quickly and only in the one sink in the upstairs bathroom.
> If they turn it off very slowly there is no problem so I was thinking
> if I replaced the faucet handles with ones that don't turn off in one
> big push. (the handle I have right now is a push up for on and push
> down for off). Is there any easier way to stop this from happening? I
> can't imagine the vibration is good for the pipes.

Well getting people to change behavior is nearly impossible.

Changing to a diferent faucet might help but adding a water hammer
arrestor is your best bet.

To simplify installation I would add it at the angle stop location.

If you have copper lines & compression fitting angle stops, the
following product will do the trip quickly & easily

http://www.pexsupply.com/product_dtl.asp?pID=3D5549&brand=3DCash-Acme&cID=3D=
788

I have ordered from PEX Supply a couple of times, I would recommend
them.

cheers
Bob

Posted by Joseph Meehan on June 17, 2008, 9:21 am
If your home is over say 5 -10 years old, it is very possible that you
have anti-hammer devices in the walls, buy they have become saturated to the
point they no longer work. There is a cheap fix for this. You need to
turn off the main water supply.

NOTE: Turn the water heart off first.
NOTE: In older homes it is possible that the old valve may not be up to
being turned off and on again.

Next open a low valve (both hot and cold), like one in the basement to
let water run out of the pipes. It may help to open the upper valves as
well. Let the water drain. Then turn the water back on (I suggest turning
it on slowly.) then closing all those valves. That should do it.


> in the winter it really rattles the pipes, in the summer it just has a
> big vacuum sound. This only happens when someone turns off the cold
> water very quickly and only in the one sink in the upstairs bathroom.
> If they turn it off very slowly there is no problem so I was thinking
> if I replaced the faucet handles with ones that don't turn off in one
> big push. (the handle I have right now is a push up for on and push
> down for off). Is there any easier way to stop this from happening? I
> can't imagine the vibration is good for the pipes.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit




Posted by DerbyDad03 on June 17, 2008, 11:48 am
wrote:
> =A0 =A0 If your home is over say 5 -10 years old, it is very possible that=
you
> have anti-hammer devices in the walls, buy they have become saturated to t=
he
> point they no longer work. =A0There is a cheap fix for this. =A0 You need =
to
> turn off the main water supply.
>
> NOTE: Turn the water heart off first.
> NOTE: In older homes it is possible that the old valve may not be up to
> being turned off and on again.
>
> =A0 =A0 Next open a low valve (both hot and cold), like one in the basemen=
t to
> let water run out of the pipes. =A0It may help to open the upper valves as=

> well. =A0Let the water drain. =A0 Then turn the water back on (I suggest t=
urning
> it on slowly.) then closing all those valves. =A0That should do it.
>
>
>
> > in the winter it really rattles the pipes, in the summer it just has a
> > big vacuum sound. This only happens when someone turns off the cold
> > water very quickly and only in the one sink in the upstairs bathroom.
> > If they turn it off very slowly there is no problem so I was thinking
> > if I replaced the faucet handles with ones that don't turn off in one
> > big push. (the handle I have right now is a push up for on and push
> > down for off). Is there any easier way to stop this from happening? I
> > can't imagine the vibration is good for the pipes.
>
> --
> Joseph Meehan
>
> =A0Dia 's Muire duit

I just recently followed the procedure (more or less) that Mr. Meehan
detailed and it eliminated the water hammer I was getting from my
washer. I do it every few years or whenever water hammer occurs.

The difference in my process is that I open every faucet, showers and
outdoor spigots included, to drain the system as much as possible.

One other point: When you turn the main shutoff (or any shutoff) back
on, turn it fully on, then close it about an 1/8 of a turn. The reason
for this is to give you a little room to move the handle in the "open"
direction in case it seizes up and you can't turn it off. If you open
it hard against the stop, you increase the chance of it seizing and
you'll have no "wiggle room" to free it up. Of course, this only
applies to gate valve shut offs, not ball valves.

Posted by Jay Chan on June 17, 2008, 12:25 pm
> in the winter it really rattles the pipes, in the summer it just has a
> big vacuum sound. This only happens when someone turns off the cold
> water very quickly and only in the one sink in the upstairs bathroom.
> If they turn it off very slowly there is no problem so I was thinking
> if I replaced the faucet handles with ones that don't turn off in one
> big push. (the handle I have right now is a push up for on and push
> down for off). Is there any easier way to stop this from happening? I
> can't imagine the vibration is good for the pipes.

Actually I have a question to people in this newsgroup. Does the
water hammer tends to occur in a faucet near the bottom half of the
house than one in the upper half of the house? I am under the
impression that water hammer occurs when a lot of water rushing down
but being stopped suddenly. Should the water hammer occur more often
with a faucet in the basement than the one in the upper floor?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

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