Blank Pipe next to Pipe? Air chambers.

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MAD King

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Hello,

I am wondering why there are a separate pipes beside the pipes which go to the valves.
I got that on every valve pipe in my whole house.
What is the sense behind and do I need it?

Thank you
 

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Asktom

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Those are air chambers meant to reduce watter hammer, but they are ineffective. In no time at all they are filled with water were and undersized to begin with, sort of an oldtime plumbing superstition. They don't do any good but they don't do any harm. I don't know what project is that caused you to open the wall, but it makes things easier to leave them in, leave them in. If it easier if you cut them out, cut them out.
 

Jerome2877

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They are air chambers to reduce the effects of water hammer. They are probably full of water now and doing nothing. They make proper water hammer arrestors now that have seperate air chambers that cannot fill with water. If you completly drain your system down they will work again but will eventually fill with water again.
 

MAD King

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That is my shower. I will leave that in. But under my bathroom sinks are the same. So it is save to leave it off when I replace the pipes.

Thank you
 

Gary Swart

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Your question was already answered twice, but perhaps a third time will help. They do no good, but they don't hurt anything. If it was mine, I'd cut them off at the tees and sweat a cap on the stub, but you can leave them if you want to.
 

LLigetfa

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The way they were put in, Tee'd off the side like that, they will waterlog and stay that way. If they were Tee'd at the top so as to collect air they may have stood a chance of working.
 

MAD King

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The way they were put in, Tee'd off the side like that, they will waterlog and stay that way. If they were Tee'd at the top so as to collect air they may have stood a chance of working.

No, they don't work at the way there are now in
 

LLigetfa

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Really, the only place you need them are where you have fast closing solenoid valves, such as washing machine, dish washer, ice maker, etc..
 

MAD King

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Oh, ok, so after replacing the old pipes I can leave that off and just put something like this for the washing machine and dish washer?

minires.jpg


The one on the left
 
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Asktom

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If you put in arrestors, install them outside the wall, not inside. When they fail you want them to be easy to change. If you haven't had a problem with water hammer and they aren't required by local code, forget them. You can always add them later if you need to. Why try to solve a problem you don't have?
 

MAD King

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Like LLigetfa mentioned. I have only hammering with the washing machine and dish washer. Would the arrestor I linked in my previous posting work?
 
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