How to Fix Hammering in Household Plumbing
The hammering noise you hear when you shut off a faucet in your house is caused by the water rushing against the shut valve. The pounding noise is from the pipe banging against the wall studs or joists. If you add an air chamber to your water-supply piping, it will absorb the shock of the water hitting the valve and prevent the water hammer. You can buy one of these shock absorbers or make your own. This article shows you how to install them. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Commercial hammer arrestor (optional)
- Brass tee for commercial arrestor
- 6 to 8 feet of 3/4-inch copper water pipe
- Tubing cutter
- 4 to 6 copper pressure caps
- Solder
- 4 to 6 3/4-inch copper tees
- 2 copper by copper unions
- 2 full-port ball valves
- Teflon tape
- Pipe-joint compound
- Lead-free flux
- Propane or Acetylene torch
Instructions
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Use a commercial hammer arrestor if you just have a problem with hammering in one location, such as a bathroom or kitchen sink. Add a female tee onto the supply line where it comes out of your wall, and thread the arrestor into the top of the tee.
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2
Make your own air chamber manifold, and install it where the water line enters your house. Cut 4 to 6 sections of pipe from 12 to 18 inches long, and solder a pressure cap on one end of each section. These are your risers.
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3
Solder a copper tee on the other end of each section, then cut 3-inch sections of pipe to join the tees to one another. Make sure the risers all run up in the same direction. This is your rough manifold.
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4
Solder a copper by copper union on both ends of the manifold. Solder a ball valve on both ends after the unions. This is the completed manifold.
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5
Remove a section of your water line and insert the manifold in its place, with the risers on top. This will solve your water hammer problem.
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Shut off the ball valves if your hammering returns. To get rid of the hammering, undo the copper unions, remove the manifold and shake the water out. Reinstall the manifold, and turn the water back on.
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