Plumbing noise after sprinkler system installed

[Wendy D]

I've just had a lawn sprinkler system installed, and every time it turns on, my pipes make a lot of noise. It is a loud "hammering" noise. I've been looking up articles on water hammer, but everyone says that's what you hear when you turn a valve off; this happens constantly while the system is running, about 4 times per second.

I'm also used to hearing a slight ticking noise from the meter when the dishwasher or laundry machine is filling, but this is much louder.

I had a plumber do some of the inside work, to put an extra pipe in to go out to the sprinkler system. He assumed the sprinkler guy was going to punch a hole in the front of the house.. the sprinkler guy decided he'd rather have it in the side of the house. As a result, sprinkler guy had to add a sharp 180 degree turn in the pipe to get it redirected to the side of the house. Could this be causing the problem?

I'm not too concerned if it's simply noisy, I'm just curious if this could cause damage to my pipes. Any ideas?

TIA for advice.

Wendy

[Joseph Meehan]

When it is making the noise go down and listen and feel the pipes to find where the noise if coming from. I'd look for insufficient or poor pipe support. I would also suggest the sprinkler man should not have needed to make a 180, but should have cut the pipe back.

[Joe Bartoldus]

The hammer sound is the result of a rapid open/close of a valve. There is a device (looks like a short pipe ) that is suposed to reduce this. It's an easy install for your plumber.

[Jim Mc Namara]

Wendy,

Water hammer is usually caused by a sudden stop and start of water flow. Most solenoid valves (ice makers, dishwashers, washing machines) have these electric valves that shut instantaneously (which is why you seldom hear it by slowly closing a faucet.) To help eliminate this problem, I would be sure that all of the piping is properly strapped in place. This will reduce the noise but will not stop the hammering effect. You can get a hammer arrestor (also known as a shok-stop) installed on the line. This would be at the end of the largest water line. The are usually 3/4" round and have a sealed air chamber with a spring mechanism which acts as a shock absorber. Some plumbers install just a piece of copper tubing about 12" long with a cap on the end, but over a period of time, they will waterlog and will lose their effectiveness. Best of luck to you.

Jim Mc Namara

[meirman]

In alt.home.repair on Mon, 04 Aug 2003 14:02:16 GMT "Jim Mc Namara" posted:

Good to know. Thanks.

What I've been using are easy to install things that go one the hot and cold intakes of the washing machine. Probably have them at Home Depot, but I don't know how long they will last until waterlogged. Even though the chambers point up, after the rubber breaks, it won't take so long before the air is absorbed by the water, right?

Originally the washhing machine hoses accomplished what the hammer arrestor is supposed to do.

I didn't turn the water to the machine off after every use, because my mother never did, and the warning in the manual seemed like boilerplate. They have so many warnings it is hard to tell the important ones from the ones that are just there for the 1 in 10 million times something goes wrong and they don't want to be sued.

This one is important, for I'm told washing machine hoses usually burst after ????? 10??? years.

So mine did and I'm lucky I heard the noise when I woke up in the morning.

Now I have woven stainless cover hoses. The cover keeps the rubber from stretching, and I don't turn off the hoses even though I should, mabye.

But that created water hammer.

Meirman

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