Alternative to water arrestor to prevent water hammer and understanding Neptune water meter

deyrup

Understand the water meter:
We started reading from our Neptune meter and I noticed that there is a message on it stating that a leak started 5 days ago and the leak is continuous. According to the manual a continuous leak means that water was used in every 15 minute reporting period during the last 24 hours. I found one leak and fixed it, but the system still says that there is a leak ongoing. It seems like the leak message should stop on the next 15 minute period if I fixed all of the leaks. Does the fact that there is still a leak indicator mean that there is still a leak somewhere or is the meter considering the last 24 hours differently?

Manual: https://www.neptunetg.com/globalassets/products/literature/publication_e-coderr900i-10.15.pdf

Here is our water usage last night. We have a tenant upstairs so not 100% if they used any water last night, but there are long stretches where this is no water use so I assume that means I found the leak?





Water Arrestor Alternative

Does anyone know of a better solution for water hammers associated with your washing machine than water arrestors directly on the machine? They need to be pretty tight to not leak, and even then they sometimes develop a leak. We overtightened one once and stripped the threading on the washing machine inlet valve because for some reason they make the solenoids out of plastic and the threading on the hose/arrestor is metal. They also only seem to last one year. We asked the plumber and he told us that we were using the best solution available.

JUGHNE

Don't know about your water meter but toilets are always good suspects. Bad flush flapper can seep and some fill valves are too quiet to let you know they are adding water.
Or fill valve is seeping constantly and water just sneaking over the top of the overflow tube in the tank. You could see that in the tank.

As for the arresters, if your red handle water stops will unscrew,
you could add close brass nipple, brass Tee, water stop back in the outlet and then get new 1/2" screw in arresters to go into the top of the tee.

hot_rod

Hammer arrestors work best at the device that creates the potential.
What is the water pressure?

JUGHNE

The stops are only a hose length away from the solenoid valves.
Would seem to be effective or not?

In my old house I had the same washer setup in the basement.
While replumbing (40 years ago) I added plain copper pipe air chambers 24" tall on the supply. We have only 30-40 PSI.

With the washer operating noise, it would be hard to hear water hammer, but the hoses did not jump at all.
I could tell the air was being lost as the ice maker would shut off and be audible in the basement. So drain the system down and let air back into the chambers and refill with water. Would be quiet for at least 5 years.

deyrup

It looks like the water pressure is 90 psi.

Jamie Hall

Is that pressure for real? That's too high. If that pressure is real, you need a pressure reducing valve on the main water feed line coming into the house (which will also require an expansion tank on the hot water system, but that's minor.

Just dropping the pressure down to a more civilised level -- say around 60 psi -- will help a lot.

Larry Weingarten

Hi, I agree 100% with what @Jamie Hall just said, even though we may not both spell civilized the same way .
My experience is that getting pressure down to where it should be often eliminates the hammer. It also reduces the chances of having burst flex connectors or other leaks. If you do install a pressure reducer, make sure there is an expansion tank someplace in the cold line, so thermal expansion from the water heater has somewhere to go.

Yours, Larry

deyrup

I suppose my pressure gauge could be broken. I did a somewhat less accurate test in the bath tub; it took me ~6 seconds to fill ~2 quarts; so 1 gal/12 sec or 5 gpm from the bathtub faucet. I am not sure if flow rate scales linearly with pressure, but I read that 2.2 gpm means 60 psi; so that would mean my pressure is >100.

Here is a picture of the main water feed. It looks like the old feed might have had a reducer, but when they replaced the lead service they didn't add a new one.

Do you think that the water pressure was intentionally left this high? It is a two story multifamily if that gives any context.

Intplm.

As to the water hammer arrestors, from what I can see in your picture they are very good, seem to be new,
and installed correctly.
As mentioned above, toilets ball cocks, or fill valves can be problematic with that high of a pressure. You should get it adjusted down.

As to the leak indicator on your water meter? Is this your own meter or is it a water companies meter? If it is the water companies then you should ask them about the leak indicator, to find out when it will reset?
A few things to keep in mind before you do call is to check for any further leaks. Toilet(s) filling/turning on when not used, water dripping from a garden hose, faucets dripping, etc.
Just one of these or any combination of them can show a leak indicator on a meter. Or contact Neptune tech support.

If you have an irrigation system that you are using this time of year, or even not using. (Not sure if you live in a warm climate or not.) Irrigation systems can also show up as a leak.

Jamie Hall

I might add one further comment -- if your pressure really is that high, and your rough and ready text doesn't disagree! -- the wonder would be that you didn't have a leak. Or leaks. Somewhere.