Water Hammer | Plumbing Fort Worth
Water Hammer | Plumbing Fort Worth
Water hammer occurs when an open tap is abruptly closed and the rapidly-moving water comes to a sudden stop in the pipes. This produces a noticeable banging sound in your plumbing in Fort Worth, similar to the sound of someone hitting the pipes with a hammer.
Water hammer can be a big bang, or a series of banging noises starting with a loud bang followed by several “echoes”. When the noise occurs as you open a valve or faucet, it is probably air in the pipes. However, if the noise occurs when a valve is closed, it is probably water hammer. If water hammer is occurring in your plumbing in Fort Worth a Benjamin Franklin Plumber can find the cause of water hammer to your pipes and provided the needed plumbing repair.
Water hammer always doesn’t occur each time you turn the water off. When water hammer suddenly starts to occur in your pipes it indicates that there is a problem. Water hammer is potentially damaging to your homes plumbing in Fort Worth.
How Water Hammer Damages Pipes
The most immediately noticeable symptom of water hammer is the loud banging noise. Given time, water hammer can cause serious damage to pipes, valves and fittings, contributing to erosion and in extreme cases can result in burst pipes in your plumbing in Fort Worth.
Modern pipes are designed with chambers of air, which help ease the damage caused by water hammer. Unfortunately, over time, the air chambers can become waterlogged, reducing their ability to neutralize the effects of water hammer. This is why water hammer sometimes begins to occur suddenly in pipes which had previously lacked water hammer symptoms.
Treating Water Hammer
The homeowner’s ability to manage water hammer will depend upon the cause. Utilizing the following steps may help to reduce the damaging effects of water hammer.
- If you can identify the section of piping where the hammer is occurring turn off its water source.
- Open the valve where water hammer is occurring.
- Allow the water to completely drain through the open valve. This will allow air to be restored into the chamber and create a new protective layer against water hammer.
- In some pipes, the air chamber is located below the water source. If this is the case the water source should also be drained as well. For most homes this will be the main shut off valve, or the water meter, which will need to be shut off to prevent the chamber from refilling with water. Older piping may lack air chambers and these solutions will not work.
If these steps fail to stop water hammer, an additional potential cause of water hammer is piping that is clogged with rust and/or limescale.
Furthermore, high water pressure can cause water hammer to occur. When high water pressure is present, it is recommended to protect pipes and appliances by installing a pressure reducing valve between the water meter and the homes main water line. This involves cutting into the homes main water supply line and is a job best left to a professional plumber due to the potential for costly leaks if not properly provided.
Air chambers installed at various locations can often solve water hammer problems, and the final option is repiping the home with a proper installation by a qualified and experienced plumber.
When water hammer threatens your homes plumbing in Fort Worth call Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for professional resolution. We provide Fort Worth, Arlington and the surrounding areas with prompt, reliable plumbing services by the plumbers you can trust time after time. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing backs all its repairs with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
