Water hammer

[Huge]

Any suggestions for tracking down and curing the water hammer which is presently afflicting the (mains) cold water supply to our (upstairs) en-suite bathroom?

[Grunff]

You need an arrester, e.g. BES 11355

framed site, so direct link is without all the navigation)

[Andy Hall]

So that's the reason. Couldn't you fix it for them? I hate sites like that where you can't capture a URL.

The RS one and similar others aren't any better. One gets a huge (not to be confused with OP) URL string with session ID and all sorts of other bollocks which then either gets snipped or doesn't work.

Coming to Huge's problem, yes these do work. The other thing is to perhaps fit a restrictor in the bog float valve if there isn't one, or the HP one if there is an LP one in there.

Others are if the pipe is not well enough clipped down.

[Grunff]

It is extremely annoying, and there's good evidence that it loses sites business.

As for fixing it, I think their site would benefit greatly from a rewrite, but fortunately I've never had to approach businesses with such an offer - I wait for them to come to me :-)

Session IDs are a real pain, because even if you do copy + paste the URL correctly, by the time I come to visit it the session will have expired.

I think Screwfix have one of the tidiest e-commerce sites around - not the greatest graphics, but it works very nicely. Play.com is another good one.

[Andrew Gabriel]

With the exception of the tradesmen in this newsgroup, I never met one that buys much online, so I really doubt it has much affect on their business. Once you've bought something from them (I bought a boiler some time back and a flue gas analyser more recently from them), you go on their catalogue and special offers mailing list, and the catalogue is good.

[Grunff]

You're probably correct - I was speaking more broadly, not specifically about heating/building suppliers.

[phil]

I'd never heard of 'water hammer' until reading this topic, but at least I now know the name of the noise I hear whenever my dishwasher is in use!

Seeing as it's ONLY my dishwasher that causes the problem, is there a simple (and cheap) solution to fixing it?

The water supply to the washer is via a half inch (strong, thick, moderately flexible) clear plastic tube that attaches to a copper pipe about 2 feet up the wall. Said pipe is bent around and down to connect to the dishwasher (that's currently sitting on the floor - it's a small, compact unit).

Thanks

[Douglas de Lacey]

Try "Open this frame in a new tab" and capture that uri.

Douglas de Lacey

[Bookworm]

I would seriously think of changing the clear plastic tube to a proper, good quality, washing machine hose. Alternatively fit a non return valve upstream of the plastic pipe.

The clear plastic tube could encourage algeal growth, (there are a lot of nutrients in potable water). These algeal growths could back up into the water you drink.

Also a wealth of evidence that some types of plastic tube, including some W/Machine hoses, impart a taint to the water supply. Water Companies usually recommend fitting a NRV if they get a customer complaint about tainted water when there is a W/Machine fitted. Usually cures the problem.

[<me9]

It's probably the flexible pipe thrashing around when the water inlet valve closes. Is the correct restrictor fitted to the inlet to the dshwasher? Can you re-route the flexible pipe so that it doesn't thrash into other things such as resonating floorboards or cupboards?

[phil]

Would it be possible to attach a non return valve to the places where the existing tube is attached, and so still enable the tube to be reattached to said vale (if you see what I mean)?

Ugh, nasty.

I should say that this is the tube/hose that was supplied with the Zanussi dishwasher, so would Zanussi ship the dishwasher with something so unsuitable?

Thanks for the information. Sounds like a bit of a minefield!

[Grunff]

Hardly - dishwasher filling hoses are invariably installed under/between cabinets. No light means no algae. A clear tube makes inspection much easier.

Bookworm seems to have a real bee about water contamination. There's really no mechanism by which that can happen in this case, even if you grew the most gigantic algae colony in you clear tube.

[phil]

Restrictor? To stop the hose moving? If so then nope, no restrictor to be seen.

I'll give it a go, also I've just found and attached a spare washing machine hose to see if that helps instead of the supplied plastic tube (it's a hot water hose which also seem to have a mesh filter at one end).

Thanks

[phil]

Good point, hadn't thought of it that way. :)

I've now found and instead attached a normal washing machine hose (hot water with a mesh filter inserted one end) instead, so far no bangs or knocks at least .......... :)

I can see a debate starting on this one ................

[Bookworm]

You bet I do. You can grow all sorts of bugs in tubes of all sorts with or without light. Legionella, cryptosporidium etc.etc. Read up about Legionella on Google for a start. Then ask yourself why certain compounds such as the old Boss White etc etc is banned. Because they contain nutrients that support the growth of Bio-films. Bio Films support the growth of bugs and so ad-finitum.

There's

If you don't believe me do some research? Then produce evidence that what you say is true.

[Grunff]

No, I have sufficient understanding of the subject to recognise scare-monger bollocks when I read it. No research necessary.

[Huge]

Your use of terminology demonstrates that although you may have a bee in your bonnet you have precious little else. Legionella is spread by airborne aerosol, not by ingestion, and "biofilms"

*are* "bugs".

[Huge]

Spot on, oh Grunffacious one.

[Dave Fawthrop]

|"biofilms" |*are* "bugs".

but almost certainly not *dangerous* bugs.

[phil]

Hmmm, think I'll have to try another hose - the one with the filter in the end makes a VERY strange (and loud) squealing noise when water STARTS to flow through it.

No, there isn't a small rodent inside it! :)