Water Hammer - A Phoenix Plumbing Home Nightmare!

Phoenix plumbing home

Phoenix plumbing home, water hammer, a nightmare! Water hammer is usually identified by a clanging or rapping in the water pipes. The noise can happen when the flow of traveling water is suddenly ceased by a closing valve, or there are loose pipes in the sheetrock, or there is a broken washer on a faucet.

The quick ceasing of the flow, or a "pause" caused by a loose or bad washer, causes a pressure spike behind the valve which behaves like a tiny eruption within the pipe. This eruption causes shock waves in the water that will "echo" throughout the entire plumbing piping, rattling and banging pipes, especially loose pipes, until it dissipates.

In Phoenix plumbing home, if you have ever heard the pipes rattle, or “bang” when the toilet fills, or when the washing machine is done filling, you have water hammer! As was stated above, water hammer is created by the sudden ceasing or change in direction of water flow. This is very common problem in home plumbing. Mostly, water hammer does not create any damage to the plumbing but it can be very disturbing. Rarely, water hammer can cause failure to joints or pipes.

The 1st thing to do when you hear water hammer in your home is to go and check the water pressure. Frequently, you will hear much more hammering and banging noises when the home's water pressure is too high. Determine the water pressure with a gauge that can be affixed to an exterior hose bib or behind the washing machine. If the pressure is above seventy-five per-sq.-inch, then a pressure regulator should be put in, or replaced, if the current one has gone bad. The new pressure regulator will help maintain a consistent water pressure and thereby stop the water hammer.

Phoenix plumbing home

It could be that your Phoenix plumbing home's water pressure is within the normal limits but you have recently installed an appliance; this is causing a water hammer. If that is the case, you can buy and install a water hammer arrester at the source to cease the hammering. Look for a water hammer arrester that can fit onto an existing water shut off valve. Find them at your home improvement or hardware store.

As with every plumbing part, water pressure regulators will go bad someday. If you discern water hammering of any kind, more water pressure, less water pressure, or other strange things in the water pressure; it may be an indicator that the water pressure regulator is going bad. Check the water pressure with a gauge if there are any questions of the regulator’s veracity. Checking the water pressure annually is always a great idea.