OT: Well water hammer problem

Perhaps your old plumbing had air trapped in them which created their own anti-hammer device.

THE FIX: Install a couple anti-hammer devices.

eBay or Sizing info.

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Be aware that hammering can and will damage the pump, pipes, unions, valves, etc. in the system. JR Dweller in the cellar

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How deep is your well? How many foot valves in the line? All have an effect. Our 650 ft. well had one foot valve in the pump plus one half way up the line. When the pump was replaced a year ago, a second foot valve was added to the line from the pump.

In addition, the well head has a spring loaded relief valve that gives a little spurt of water when the pump shuts off. The well service guys asked if I wanted them to replace it or crank it down tighter. Tighter would give more water hammer, so we left it as is.

Funny thing is our well at the other place is 350 ft, but has no relief valve at the top. No water hammer there, either.

So, if your well has a relief at the well head, it could be not working. Other possibility is a foot valve is not working correctly.

A well service call may not cost you anything, but they may find a problem just waiting to shut your well down in the middle of the the night and on a weekend.

Is that any help?

Paul

Hi guys,

The hammer does no go beyond the garage where the well head plumbing, filters, softener etc are.

@Paul: Thanks for the information. The pump is a 230 feet and has it's own check valve. I suspect the check valve at the top is to prevent the pressure tank from discharging if a hole develops in the drop pipe or the pump's check valve leaks back. It is a brand new pump that was installed last Friday. There was a check valve at the top of the pipe that held the old pump but the well guy said it was not needed with the new pump. I am now beginning to wonder.

@Larry: Thanks for the helpful links, that's is the sort of thing I was looking for.

Dave

I am 95% sure you have a bad check valve in the well. #1 If you have a diaphragm tank and have air in the lines and have a hesitation in the water when the pump comes on you have a bad check valve in the well. Especially if you have 2 checks in the well. The GS series has a check in the discharge of the pump. you might have one more depending on who installed it. If your tank is not a captive air tank with a air volume control you would never see these clues. If I am right and you do not repair the problem your new motor will die too because the thrust bearing will fail because of this problem. #2 The main clue you gave me was it does it on start up. Normally it would be on shut off. The check valve at the top it probably weak too. If it's anything other than Flomatic check valve replace it every 5 years, or buy Flomatic and don't worry.

Scott

Another well servicer would only pull the pipe up part way, or perhaps not at all, to put on a new top check valve. Around here, the well service people hate each other and no one can do as good a job as they can!

Paul

Larry Jaques wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I've had some of the small arrestors on my washing machine for about 15 years. They fail periodically, usually because the lubricant wears away & the pistons stick. If you get one where you have a straight shot at the piston, you can resurrect them for another year or two by disconnecting them and taking a stick to un-stick the piston. I was actually a beta tester for Sioux Chief's arrestors for a few years. I would NEVER use one that was sweated in place.

If you can put in appropriate valving, an air filled vertical pipe you can drain when the air dissolves into the water is a good solution. They also make slightly larger ones with a rubber air bladder that might be more reliable in the long haul.

Doug White

You don't need anything that complicated; just a vertical tube sealed at the top with an air filler valve. Or is this inaccessible for routine maintenance?

Thanks, Rich

Someone had screwed a capped 3' section of galv pipe into my washer's cold water source in the old Vista house. It cut out the hammer 100%. I lived there 27 years and it was there when I moved in, so air doesn't dissolve into water very readily.

Why have valving, anyway?

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Larry Jaques wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I think it's worse with hot water. More of an issue with a washing machine than a well pump.

That way you can get air into it without having to drain your entire house.

Doug White

I put three feet of 3/4" pipe above an outside faucet on my pump house. If the air is adsorbed, I can shut the pump off and open that hose valve till the water drains from the pipe. Turn the well pump back on and no more hammering. :)

Oh, I thought the reference was to a check valve.

-- Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. -- Howard Thurman

There are 12" lengths of copper pipe under my kitchen with the feed tubes to the faucet tee 'd off to the side. About every five years, I turn off the main supply valve, open the kitchen taps along with the laundry tub taps directly below and let the system drain out. When I hear the dishwasher causing water hammer noises, I remember that it's time to do it again (solenoid valves accentuate the effect).

Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Water hammer is a kind of organ-pipe resonance. You need a damper, usually a vertical pipe stub (air bubble trapped in the stub acts as a spring). It might also be useful to make sure all valves intended to be open are fully open (restrictions cause the excitation of the resonances).