Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Can loose fitting insulation cause water hammer

Options
Fizz
Fizz Member Posts: 547
in Strictly Steam
Recently had lateral pipe replaced, and new insulation is 1/2 too big(1" pipe, 11/2" insulation). Now there is water hammer. Can this be due to loose fit of insulation?

Comments

  • Abracadabra
    Abracadabra Member Posts: 1,948
    Options
    Fizz said:

    Recently had lateral pipe replaced, and new insulation is 1/2 too big(1" pipe, 11/2" insulation). Now there is water hammer. Can this be due to loose fit of insulation?

    I'd say no. check that any existing piping didn't change pitch when new pipe was replaced. Double check pitch on new pipe.
  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,478
    Options
    No, it's not going to cause water hammer but it won't do much good as insulation unless you cal fill up the excess space. I'll bet something got moved during the repair that changed the slope of a pipe somewhere.

    Is the new pipe smaller than the old pipe? If it is there is a chance it's to small to handle the steam and condensate.

    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
  • Abracadabra
    Abracadabra Member Posts: 1,948
    Options
    Was the pipe replaced with the same iron pipe or did they use copper?
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,576
    Options
    Copper could elongate with the heat, and cause a change of slope, making a dip in the pipe where water could collect, and interfere with the steam.--NBC
  • Fizz
    Fizz Member Posts: 547
    Options
    Actually the pipe was a re-pipe of upstairs radiator from a different lateral. The pipe is iron. Pitch seems ok. Original lateral had too much edr attached so we repiped radiator to different line and it worked.
  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
    Options
    Fizz said:

    Actually the pipe was a re-pipe of upstairs radiator from a different lateral. The pipe is iron. Pitch seems ok. Original lateral had too much edr attached so we repiped radiator to different line and it worked.

    If this is a different lateral (I assume it is a horizontal pipe) then was anything done to the one that now has hammer, other than adding insulation? The insulation, in and of itself won't cause hammer. What else has changed on this specific lateral? Something has changed there, caussing water to pool in that area.
  • Fizz
    Fizz Member Posts: 547
    Options
    The pipe with the hammer is the one replaced. Now the hammer(I assume it's hammer), has more of a clicking sound, not loud. We tapped this pipe off a different run-out from main. There is one other radiator on a different lateral off same run-out. Both work well.
  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
    Options
    Are you sure the noise is not expansion/contraction? It the pipe against a floor joist or stud ar touching anything else?
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,327
    Options
    If it's more of a clicking sound, odds are it's expansion...
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • Abracadabra
    Abracadabra Member Posts: 1,948
    Options
    Jamie Hall said:

    If it's more of a clicking sound, odds are it's expansion...

    +1
  • Fizz
    Fizz Member Posts: 547
    Options
    That makes more sense! Thanks for input.

Categories