Re: Water pipes go BANG!

[IMM]

Whenever I turn off any tap (H or C) in my house, there is an almighty bang

> as the water shuts off unless I do it v-e-r-y slowly indeed. Is this known > as 'water hammer', or is that just the 'juddering' sound some folk > experience? > > I've been googling about this here, but am nor sure how to cure this easily?

Sometime if a tap washer is lose this can occur. Check the washers and replace to suit. They are so cheap you may as well replace all of them.

I don't want to close the stop c*ck or any in-line valves to reduce the > pressure, as it's really not that great anyway (and I have a combi feeding > the shower - the whole place has mains pressure water, no H or C tanks). > > Is an 'arrestor' what I need, or is that just for juddering pipes? If this > would do the trick, does it matter whereabouts it is fitted in the system? > > Thanks

Fit a shock arrestor from BES:

as near to the offending tap as possible. This will fully eliminate the problem.

[Dave P]

Thanks for this - however it's ALL taps, so the shower, bath taps, sink taps, kitchen taps and washing machine all do this (therefore washers unlikely to be the culprit, also all taps are brand new too). So hopefully I would't need 9 of them!? If I put these arrestors in the H & C pipes under the bath - therefore pretty close to bath/sink/shower, would that sort out the kitchen (probably about 6m of pipework away)?

Thanks Dave

[IMM]

You only need one arrestor. In systems were there is no water meter, expansion is taken up down the mains pipe. Some water meters have check valves in them preventing this occurring. So, you have to install expansion provision yourself. They are small spheres.

In some cases when water meters have been installed the extra pressure inside the installation can blow combi gaskets, shower joints and tap joints. Some combi's come with arrestors already fitted, others have provision.

Is the system a mains pressure system on H&C? What types of taps do you have? 1/4 turn efforts?

[Dave P]

Surely 1 arrestor for hot and one for cold? (I don't have a meter.)

Yes, fully mains pressure; yes, taps are the 1/4 turn ceramic disc types (which no doubt exacerbates the problem I'll admit; although it also happens with the shower mixer which presumably has conventional rubber seals inside).

Thanks David

[IMM]

The 1/4 turn don't help at all. Yes. I would put one sock arrestor on the hot and one on the cold. They are about £10 each.

[Ian Stirling]

I think I'd go for a generic filter, rather than just a sock arrestor.