Have you ever heard a loud thump sound when you turn off a water faucet or when the water stops flowing into your dishwasher or washing machine? In the plumbing industry, we call that “water hammering”.
Ok, so what’s causing all that racket?
Well, when the water is shut off suddenly, it creates a hydraulic shock that causes pipes in your home to physically bang against your walls if they haven’t been properly strapped to joists. This banging can actually cause additional plumbing problems like broken pipes, appliance damage, and the loosening of other plumbing fittings.
Alright, I understand that this is an issue am I doomed or can I remedy this problem?
Breathe a sigh of relief; there is hope and it’s sometimes a simple fix. Modern homes are built with an additional length of pipe behind valves. This section of pipe fills with air and is meant to cushion the shock of water being turned off. Over time, water can bubble up into these air chambers rendering them ineffective. If your plumbing is experiencing this, simply shut off the main water valve to your home and run your faucets until all of the water has drained out. Turn the main water valve back on and check to see if the banging sound persists.
Oh no… the pipes are still banging, what do I do?
It is possible that your home’s water pressure is too high. In this case, you might want to contact your local water utility and report the issue. If it’s not your water pressure, you might just need a hammer arrestor. If you’re comfortable soldering copper pipes, you might be able to install these under your sinks to mitigate the problem. If not, [ps-business-name] will be happy to come out and install one for you. We might also be able to detect if something else could be causing your problem while we’re there. Give us a call at [ps-phone-group] or click here to contact us and one of our helpful customer service agents will be in contact with you to help rid your pipes of this terrible racket.
