Water hammer is the loud thud from pipework when a valve closes suddenly. It's often caused by the sudden stopping of water with momentum, causing the pipes to jump. It can put a lot of stress on fittings.

The normal approach to fixing this is to provide an air buffer in a pipe or pressure vessel. This device does exactly that in a miniature form. Traditionally a stub of pipe with a cap on the end was used as a crude air reservoir, but there is a belief that the air gets absorbed into the water. I was under the impression that the tiny bubbles of air that often occur in the water supply would refill the air pocket. The piston or diaphragm in dedicated units ensures that the air can't get depleted.

Did you spot me repeatedly mixing up air and water during the video? That's the peril of doing livetake recording with a oneway trip into the device being explored.

I fitted a similar style of unit to try and resolve an issue when my washing machine (laundry washer) is cycling its main solenoid valve, but while it helped, it couldn't cure the decades of random plumbing modifications and unsecured pipes under the floor.

The pressure vessel diaphragm failure I mentioned is fairly common. The usual failure mode is for the diaphragm to perforate, and water to displace the air that was there. If a very brief press on the schrader valve stem results in a squirt of water, then your pressure vessel needs replaced. Some manufacturers recommend checking the pressure from time to time and adding more air if needed.


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