This causes water to slam into the valve mechanism, creating a pressure wave that propagates through the piping system. Valve types, such as swing, tilting disc or piston style check valves, depend on gravity and the reversal of flow to return the valves to the closed position. One of the main contributors of water hammer can be the choice of check valve type. Failing to do so will ultimately result in system wide damage, and may spread beyond the flow system to other equipment or facility infrastructure. Additional financial losses may also be incurred due to downtime required for additional maintenance, repairs, or installations.Īs you can see, it is essential that immediate action is taken at the initial signs of water hammer. Property damage can lead to costly repairs or equipment replacements. Depending on the industry and specific facility, unmanaged leaks can also increase the risk of slips, falls, and electrocution. Pipeline rupture can also endanger the health and safety of employees and maintenance personnel. If left unchecked, water leaks can damage electrical equipment and or lead to the corrosion of equipment or infrastructure. The ensuing damage can be extensive, often entailing major replacement operations. Rupture results in local pipeline failure and can cause the entire system and other equipment to fail. Ruptured pipelines due to pressure spikes are especially expensive to repair. Smaller leaks may go unnoticed for quite some time, leaving surrounding equipment susceptible to damage. These leaks often start slowly, gradually increasing in intensity over time.
Water hammer can damage fittings, joints, and connections, resulting in leaks.
Repeated water hammer may also cause significant damage to pumps, existing valves, and instruments, lead to the catastrophic failure of gasketed joints and expansion joints, and affect the integrity of pipe walls and welded joints. The long-term effects of water hammer can include: Ignoring water hammer can ultimately result in the catastrophic failure of your flow system. These sudden stoppages of flow and the resulting increases in pressure from the shock waves can cause significant damage to the overall piping system either due to a singular event or be cumulative damage occurring over time. While it may look and sound harmless, the impact force on the valve – caused by the fluid’s momentum – can create pressure spikes that may exceed ten times the working pressure of the system.
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