How to prevent water hammer

Do you have banging pipes - or water hammer? A banging noise in the water pipes normally occurs when the water is turned off too quickly, especially on valve-type taps and fittings. There still seems to be some confusion as to this topic, so I decided to find as much information as possible on the topic of banging pipes and water hammer.

 

 

You can clearly hear the banging noise in this video, and see the hot water pipe vibrating. Simply by turning off a valve-type tap too quickly is the cause of this problem.

Fasten pipes to roof joists

If you have banging pipes - or water hammer - don't leave it for too long. Sooner or later something has to give and you could end up with a serious leak. The first option to try would be to secure any loose pipes to roof joists using steel brackets. Run the hot water for a few minutes to expand a copper pipe and then wrap with felt before fixing.

Have an arrester installed

The second way to solve the problem of water hammer or banging pipes is to install a water hammer arrester. A registered plumber can install this sealed air chamber, which is best placed as close to the problematic tap as possible. Take a look at the videos below that offer more details on how water hammer occurs.