slight water hammer in upstairs bathroom

[Joe]

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.

[BobK207]

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

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

cheers Bob

[Joseph Meehan]

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.

[DerbyDad03]

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.

[Jay Chan]

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

[Joseph Meehan]