Installing Arrester Can Quiet Pounding Pipes
QUESTION: Each time I turn off the kitchen faucet, there’s a loud banging sound in the walls. The noise seems to be coming from the plumbing. What’s causing all the racket, and how can I stop it?
Jack McCarthy, principal of McCarthy Plumbing & Heating in Owatonna, Minn., says:
ANSWER: The problem that you’re experiencing is known as hydraulic shock, or “water hammer.”
When a faucet is turned off quickly, it can cause a spike in the water pressure, and a shock wave subsequently rolls through the pipe. When the wave hits a dead end, like a closed faucet, it reverberates and produces a pounding noise like the one you described.
The problem can sometimes be solved by simply turning off the faucet more slowly. The sure cure, however, is to have a plumbing contractor install a water-hammer arrester (about $95) in the water line very close to the problem faucet.
The arrester acts like a tiny shock absorber to dampen the vibration and muffle the pounding sound. Normally, an arrester is installed on both the hot line and cold line. For more specific information, call a plumbing supply dealer in your area. For product literature, you can contact the following manufacturers: Josam, Box T, Michigan City, IN 46360, (219) 872-5531; Zurn Industries, Hydromechanics Division, 1801 Pittsburgh Ave., Erie, PA 16512, (814) 455-0921.
Graffiti Fighter
Q: I recently saw a television news report about a new anti-graffiti weapon. This specially formulated coating prevents spray paint from permanently sticking to masonry surfaces. The TV story indicated that the graffiti can be rinsed off with a garden hose. My home has a concrete-block wall, and I’d like to try this new product on the wall. Do you know where I can get it?
Henry Spies, of Spies Home Inspection Services in Champaign, Ill., replies:
A: I’m not familiar with the product you’re referring to, but there’s a similar anti-graffiti coating, call Enviroseal AG, from Harris Specialty Chemicals, 10245 Centurion Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256-0565; (800) 327-1570.
It’s a water-based sacrificial coating that forms a protective barrier on the masonry wall and prevents spray paint and felt-tip markers from penetrating the surface.
Graffiti can be removed with a steam cleaner or with a citrus-base cleanser and a scrub brush. A new coat of Enviroseal AG must be applied after cleaning to restore the protective barrier. That’s not quite the same as simply hosing off the offending graffiti, but this product has proven extremely effective in many commercial applications.
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