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| Thread ID: 113754 | 2010-11-02 21:05:00 | Any Plumbers on board? Pipe hammer problem. | Billy T (70) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1149838 | 2010-11-02 21:05:00 | We have mainly copper hot and cold water pipes throughout our house with the only plastic I know of being the connections from our new shower mixer to the head itself. The incoming main is plastic and feeds a pressure regulator under the house, but the supply is 100% copper from there on. Most of our taps are multi-turn with only the shower mixer and washing machine valves being rapid action types and they are the problem. When any of them operate, the pipes in the wall kick up a fearsome rattle and potential metal fatigue is a becoming a real worry. It hasn't been helped by an apparent increase in water pressure since the local mains were replaced over the last couple of years, plus the local reservoir is at a good height and less than two kilometres away so our incoming pressure is rather high. We have actually had two plastic pipes split from tiny nicks caused by the original plumber, one on the incoming under the house and one on a toilet cistern supply (don't ask, his work was a veritable catalogue of disasters and we are still uncovering problems 20+ years on). I've had no luck in convincing the kids to turn the shower off slowly, and there is nothing I can do about the washing machine, so I've been thinking about adding an air-chamber, which I presume would have to be on the output side of the pressure regulator to be of any use. It would be very easy for me to put a T junction after the pressure regulator and I planned to use a length of alkathene pipe as an air chamber with one tap at the top to bleed air in and two in series at the bottom, one to isolate from the supply and the other to bleed the water out when it fills up. The unanswered questions are, what volume of air is needed to provide an effective damper, and would the column of air in a few metres of standard waterpipe be sufficient? I can't get any closer to the causes of the hammer as the shower is upstairs, and putting chambers on the washing machine itself might meet with some resistance from Mrs T as they would have to run up the wall of her laundry. Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 1149839 | 2010-11-02 21:24:00 | Not a plumber Billy ... but there is a damper valve available that you put (I think) at the farthest point from the supply. they're used to stop the hammering when washing machine solenoid valves close .... it's just a piece of copper or stainless pipe with a spring and piston with a seal .... soon as the solenoid shuts (or tap turned off quickly) the spring takes the instant pressure load and smooths things out and stops the "hammer". I've got to put one on in my place as well .... one day :D | SP8's (9836) | ||
| 1149840 | 2010-11-02 21:54:00 | Try this Billy .... www.macdonaldindustries.co.nz | SP8's (9836) | ||
| 1149841 | 2010-11-02 22:56:00 | Billy, had the same problem just appear in our home, traced it back to an outside tap that had a floating washer on a floating stem rather than the usual one held on by a nut to a fixed stem, replaced it and had no problems since. Perhaps one of those in the shower or the washing machine are getting a little worn. | Arnie (6624) | ||
| 1149842 | 2010-11-02 22:57:00 | OK, I looked at the McDonald thingee and there is no doubt it would do the job, but I can't install it for the shower without cutting a hole in the wall on the other side from the shower, which would be in our entrance hallway. I fear that the wrath of Mrs T would fall upon my head should I suggest that, even though I'm a dab-hand at cutting access holes in Gib board and doing invisible restorations afterwards (she knows nothing of past cockups :D). A similar situation applies for the laundry, except that the wall lining is a gloss hardboard mock-tile effect (looks much better than it sounds) so can't be attacked at all. Even if I could just mitigate the hammer rather than eliminate it completely that would ease my mind and the copper pipes might then outlast me. I've taken a look and I can easily fit home-made air-chambers behind the washing machine and close to the valves. They could be emptied regularly, so that isn't too much of a problem but I can't even get get close to the shower pipes, they are all inside internal walls so the best I can do there is fit something after the pressure regulator and hope. Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 1149843 | 2010-11-02 23:40:00 | You definitely cannot do your own plumbing unless it is supervised by, tested, and certified by a licenced plumber. Supervision may be 'general' but testing and certification is not optional. Your insurance will be null and void if you do not comply with legislative requirements, and believe me, your insurers willl investigate very thoroughly if dollars are at stake. From your comments and questions it is clear that you are not competent install this air-chamber, and taking SP8's' advice would be further proof. Cheers Roddy 8-) |
roddy_boy (4115) | ||
| 1149844 | 2010-11-03 00:10:00 | I've heard that 40% of plumbing in the Auckland area is done by unlicensed plumbers and that is a major problem for the Plumber's Registration Board but I haven't heard much noise from the insurance industry. You'd think that removing plumbing items from retail shops would be on the cards :D | PaulD (232) | ||
| 1149845 | 2010-11-03 01:03:00 | Rodney was being sarcastic I think referring back to an earlier thread about wiring a light switch and some of the comments made there | gary67 (56) | ||
| 1149846 | 2010-11-03 01:10:00 | :( Thanks for that Barry. | roddy_boy (4115) | ||
| 1149847 | 2010-11-03 01:18:00 | The water hammer arrester valve doesn't have to go inside ... you can put it on an outside tap ... it only takes the initial "surge pressure" off when a tap, especially electrical solenoid type on a washing machine, is turned off ... just a shock absorber for water. | SP8's (9836) | ||
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