Acoustic Camera To Diagnose Hellish Water hammer

zevhoover · 9:54AM

Hello,

I am a renter in a 1888 building with single pipe steam heat. We have an awful water hammer banging that happens each time the system turns on, and is extremely loud. Defiantly beyond any expected thermal expansion and venting with steam, I have lived in steam heated buildings for the bast 5yr+ and am familiar with the normal sounds.

In my frustration, I purchased a acoustic camera (fotric td2e) to attempt to determine the source of the sound.

It appears to NOT be our radiator, but instead coming from the pipes running up to other units in our building, Previously, the ceiling above this area was opened up in an attempt to solve the issue, and I believe some pipe pitching angles up there were changed, but with zero effect on the hammering.

It appears that the source of the sounds is this small (6in or so) horizontal section with two elbow on the long vertical going up to another unit. My questions:

• How likely is it that this tiny 90deg bend could be causing the issue? I know the small section has insulation removed, and so it could APPEAR that it is the source of the sound simply because sound is traveling through the pipe and is loudest where un-insualted

• what other diagnostics could I do to help find the source of this error, I am armed with this acoustic camera and willing to learn! Hoping to be able to send info to the Landlord and get this solved so we can sleep again!

zevhoover · 10:00AM

More:

• I realize copper is not the right material for steam. I know our radiators in our unit are all one pipe, so it is my assumption that these two pipes that run through are also one pipe lines to other units in the building, as you can see though one is copper which is strange,

• The system produces a rhythmic water hammer, loud clank every 5sec or so while the system is turning on. Am I barking up the wrong tree? Should this be a system flush or bleed and not likely a physical issue?

Jamie Hall · 11:55AM

I honestly doubt that that short section of pipe is long enough to be the source of a water hammer problem. To create a water hammer, you need to have a long enough section ofo pipe to actually accumulate significant condensate — and, perhaps more to the point, allow a wave of it to gain some speed. That section is, I think too short on either count.

There may be a longer poorly pitched section.

However, be very sure that you are really hearing water hammer and not expansion. Granted, expansion noises are rarely as loud as a really healthy water hammer, but they can be loud — and they tend to be repetitive, which you comment suggests this one may be. They also only happen only when a pipe is warming up.

And they are much worse with copper!

zevhoover · 1:45PM

thanks for your input. This is what it sounds like: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18v-u3VJelPtVYraE0Ke96pEtPVzXt6Dp/view?usp=sharing

Acoustic Camera To Diagnose Hellish Water hammer

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