Jarniscipus
Member
I have a new problem after re-routing some pipes that is making me crazy that I cannot figure out. I have a 25 foot run of 1" copper pipe inside my house that starts from my after my well inline filter. The copper runs through the ceiling and walls to an outside vaccum pressure breaker where it transitions to an irrigation system. Irrigation system is all poly with 13 zones and 78 rotor heads.
The well has a 5 gallon pressure tank on it. PSI is 70 PSI at the well intake. I know that may sounds like a lot, but it has been at 70 PSI for 20 years with no problems with anything. My longest irrigation line is 1200 feet so I keep the pressure high to help.
I have extremely severe water hammer in my interior 1" copper pipe inside the house only when the irrigation starts up. I run all 13 zones and there is no hammer when irrigation stops, opens or closes any valves after the first zone. The hammer only happens when the first zone is turned on. I can replicate the hammer by opening and closing a 1" ball valve inside the house between the well and copper internal irrigation run. The hammer only occurs when I open the ball valve, not closing it.
The hammer is severe enough to feel and hear it anywhere in my house, it sounds like a gunshot and I am very concerned about my new copper pipes breaking over time. It is outrageously bad, like a thunder clap. It wake up everyone in the house!!! Very bad for my copper!!!
I did something replumbling my house that created the problem or there is a coincidence here, but I just can't understand what I did or how to fix it. Of course I did the replumb in the winter and then drywalled and was not able to test the sprinkler system for 6 months, so now the walls and ceiling are sealed up. To bad for me and I hate drywall work, so I would like to avoid getting in there again. I did take a chance here replumbing in the winter because I could not test the pipes, but I am confident in my abilities so I was not worried about leaks or anything like that.
Here is what I did that caused the problem. I had an 8 foot section of pipe in the ceiling that had 3 90 elbow in it (going around HVAC)- that was the old system, no problem. I changed that part of the pipes, keeping 3 90's, but extended a piece of copper pipe by 8" in between 2 of the 90's and maybe rotated one of the 90's 45 degrees. For the life of my, I cannot figure out how adding 8" of pipe could create the worse hammer I have seen in my life. Maybe it is a co-incidence.
I tend to think this problem is arising from a slug of water hitting my pipes like a battering ram at one of the 90's, perhaps there is air in the ceiling pipes that is let in from the vaccum breaker? Is that possible?
Does anyone have any thoughts? I am happy to do anything to fix it, my problem is that I don't know what to do make that happen. I am at a total loss how this happened from my replumb job.
I have thought of putting in a 1" arrestor, but will this help on valve opening? Also the valve that opens for the first irrigation valve located 200 feet away from the water hammer.
Thanks!
The well has a 5 gallon pressure tank on it. PSI is 70 PSI at the well intake. I know that may sounds like a lot, but it has been at 70 PSI for 20 years with no problems with anything. My longest irrigation line is 1200 feet so I keep the pressure high to help.
I have extremely severe water hammer in my interior 1" copper pipe inside the house only when the irrigation starts up. I run all 13 zones and there is no hammer when irrigation stops, opens or closes any valves after the first zone. The hammer only happens when the first zone is turned on. I can replicate the hammer by opening and closing a 1" ball valve inside the house between the well and copper internal irrigation run. The hammer only occurs when I open the ball valve, not closing it.
The hammer is severe enough to feel and hear it anywhere in my house, it sounds like a gunshot and I am very concerned about my new copper pipes breaking over time. It is outrageously bad, like a thunder clap. It wake up everyone in the house!!! Very bad for my copper!!!
I did something replumbling my house that created the problem or there is a coincidence here, but I just can't understand what I did or how to fix it. Of course I did the replumb in the winter and then drywalled and was not able to test the sprinkler system for 6 months, so now the walls and ceiling are sealed up. To bad for me and I hate drywall work, so I would like to avoid getting in there again. I did take a chance here replumbing in the winter because I could not test the pipes, but I am confident in my abilities so I was not worried about leaks or anything like that.
Here is what I did that caused the problem. I had an 8 foot section of pipe in the ceiling that had 3 90 elbow in it (going around HVAC)- that was the old system, no problem. I changed that part of the pipes, keeping 3 90's, but extended a piece of copper pipe by 8" in between 2 of the 90's and maybe rotated one of the 90's 45 degrees. For the life of my, I cannot figure out how adding 8" of pipe could create the worse hammer I have seen in my life. Maybe it is a co-incidence.
I tend to think this problem is arising from a slug of water hitting my pipes like a battering ram at one of the 90's, perhaps there is air in the ceiling pipes that is let in from the vaccum breaker? Is that possible?
Does anyone have any thoughts? I am happy to do anything to fix it, my problem is that I don't know what to do make that happen. I am at a total loss how this happened from my replumb job.
I have thought of putting in a 1" arrestor, but will this help on valve opening? Also the valve that opens for the first irrigation valve located 200 feet away from the water hammer.
Thanks!