Well Water and Banging Pipes

[bill]

My house is about 6 years old, and has a well water supply system with a submersible pump. I recently had to replace the well water system's pressure tank due to a ruptured bladder. I had a plumber do the job. Immediately after replacing the tank we began experiencing a nasty water hammer. The hammer occurs when the pump starts - but not every time. From searching messages on this group, and from other sources, I believe that the likely source of the problem is that the check valve(s) in the pump discharge line are leaking by. What puzzles me is, why did the problem start when the pressure tank was replaced? Is this just a coincidence, or is there some other possible reason for the water hammer?

[Pop Rivet]

No expert in any way here, but ... I would have someone inspect, or find out how to do it yourself, the newly installed tank. If this started with that change, I think it's likely the tank isn 't charged properly or isn't the right tank for the application. It seems simple but there are quite a few details involved with water systems. To me, it doesn't sound like a check valve problem. If it is though, you should be able to tell by air that comes out of the tank. If the valve leaks, then, after enough time, it IS going to allow air into the line. Air will show up easily. Air by the way, is far more compressible than water. Air is used in the stand-ups near your faucets specifically to provide a damper for water hammering.

[Joseph Meehan]

What does the plumber say. If he is honest, I believe he would want to come back and correct the problem IF it was related to the work he did.

[bill]

He said it could not be related to the work he did, offered to sell us an arrestor, and then left. I was at work at the time.

[Joseph Meehan]

It is possible that it is related to his work, if he upped the water pressure. I can also think of a couple of things that could have been related to his work, like pipes that were not properly secured after his work. As I said "If he is honest..."

[bill]

He did increase the pressure. He convinced me to spring for a larger tank; he said based on the number of people living in the house. We used to have a 30-50 cutoff and now it's 40-60.

[Joseph Meehan]

My guess then is the higher pressure only showed the existing problem. He did not cause it, if that was the case. My suggestion is use the arrestors. You might try draining all the pipes, but in this case I will guess that will not work.