Everything You Need to Know About Water Hammer

Water hammer, a rare issue that can affect residential-sized boilers and cause them to create a loud and unpleasant noise, is not a particular move in a video game. Although boilers might be among the most dependable and durable heating systems, they could still have issues like water hammers.

That being said, expert boiler repair is the only option for a situation like this. This is because of pressure, temperature, and a broken boiler are the causes of a problem like a water hammer. Therefore, it's a good idea to understand what a water hammer is and how it's caused before signing up for Water Heater Installation Repair in Mississauga, ON to ensure understanding. Also, to accurately describe a steam heating system to an HVAC specialist, it's generally a good idea to have a little prior knowledge.

So let's get started!

Water Hammer: What Is It?

A water hammer, also known as hydraulic shock, is the sudden direction change of the water in your boiler or pipe system. As a result of the pipes' resonance, expansion, and contraction, as well as collisions with their wooden frames, this can produce a loud banging sound. We can understand how someone could not grasp how this can happen if they have no memory of their high school chemistry course. After all, water doesn't suddenly shift direction in the ocean or a lake, does it?

There can be unusual physical occurrences when heat is introduced into the equation (as our boilers do every day) and when water starts to evaporate and change forms.

Water Hammer Factors

We can more precisely identify the cause of the water hammer as we now understand that it occurs when water abruptly or quickly changes direction and pressure at Water Heater Installation in Oakville. Here are a few instances of water hammer that can occur.

You've overfired your boiler. 

This can occur if your gas burner has a fault causing the temperature to increase too quickly or if your boiler is too big for your piping system (for example, as a result of a poor replacement). When your boiler overfires, water will surge ferociously and occasionally be jetted into pipes, producing an audible hydraulic shock.

Slack pipes.

 Although your piping system—rather than your boiler—is more to blame for this, unsecured lines can create water hammers because they're simpler to shake. Also, your pipes must be sturdy enough to withstand steam, heat, and pressure. They will bump into one another if the fittings are too flimsy.

Condensate needs more space. 

Any condensate created when your boiler generates steam to heat your home is meant to drain back into the boiler by gravity. The water will get trapped in your pipe, causing you to hear water hammer as it is forcibly blasted out by the approaching steam, though, if your pipes are the wrong size or have the incorrect pitch (or slope). 

The good news is that none of these issues are especially severe or harmful. If you think one of these is to blame, a professional can implement some straightforward fixes here at Emergency Furnace Repair in Mississauga.