Plumbing question/issue

[IkeRoberts]

Because it happens awhile after a shower and at all faucets, it appears that you are causing a pressure buildup within the system. The only way that can happen is if your water heater is heating up and making the cold water expand as it is heating up. When this surge happens, is your water temp higher than usual? You may have a run away thermostat on your water tank. There are two(top and bottom) set to different temps(usually). The water runs into the tank from the top down thru a fill tube to the bottom of the tank. Run away thermos generally happen at the bottom of the tank.
If you water temps are normal, ask your neighbors if they have seen the same problems. Your rural water supply may have a problem that they are not aware of yet.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

In my 70+ years I have seen a lot. Water Hammer occurs when shutting flow off quick like a solenoid in washers and icemakers and quick closing manual valves because there is no arrestor or it is waterlogged. Never seen that when opening a valve. Water hammer is a hydraulic principle. In modern systems with an expansion tank at the water heater that asorbs a lot of hammer unless the system is large or spreads out. It has to be a water logged pressure tank or a well pump control with a high cut off pressure differential. Otherwise I am baffeled also. Try this one on one of the internet sites such as DYI or google the problem and see who pops up.

Ron

 

[IkeRoberts]

I have the same problem, anytime your in the shower and somebody turns on a faucet, inside or outside, or flushes a toilet, you get a shower masage, and lots of pipe noise. This all started after installing a Marathon electric water heater and a water blader tank. We are on a well 40/60 psi. The system has been drained down twice, same problem. I wonder if the blader is bad in the tank. The shower is the closest faucet to the water heater. The bladder tank was required for water heater warranty, never had one before, and never had a problem in the past 20 years. Maybe I should remove the tank, I think it will cause future damage to pluming, if left in?

Dave

Dr Dave, Sounds like you have a different problem. Whenever you have a water bladder tank in a system, it collects air at the top of the water storage area-not the top of the tank. I suspect the added drain on the system is drawing down the tank water to the point of sucking out some of the accumulated air from below the bladder. This air usually has enough time to dissolve in the water but when you open a second or third faucet, the demand outruns the supply. There are several reasons/fixes for this.
1- The air pressure in your water bladder tank is set too high. The top of the tank should have a Schroeder valve(bicycle type tire valve) to adjust pressure.Drain the tank and check the valve pressure with your tire gauge. It should be below 20#. Drop it down to about 10# and try it. You will have less pressure in your house but it may not be enough to notice.
2-The pipe for your bladder tank may be too small. The demand for water may be more than the supply coming in. The tank makes up that difference and that is why the watert level in the tank drops until you get air in the lines. The only fix for that is a bigger water line coming into the tank. This shouldn't be the case but whoever installed this system may have reduced one of the lines.

I just thought of one more possibility. Check to make sure your main water shutoff is all the way open. No flow restriction.

 

[IkeRoberts]

It is a rural water system not private well. It does the pressure spike at every fixture. There has been water hammer in the past. There is no water hammer arrestor in the system. The pop off valve is operable and the water heater is 3 years old. I like to make home repairs myself if possible but have been stumped on this one.

Deerefan, Do you have an expansion tank in your system? It can be a large bladder type tank where your water supply enters your house or it may be a small blue(or white) tank mounted above your water heater. Drain the tank to make sure it is not waterlogged. If a bladder tank, check the pressure at the top when empty. It will be about 20#. If the tank is bad, it won't have any pressure at all. Or it may not have been filled at installation. Pump it up and refill the system and try it. If you have the small tank above your heater, I don't know what they are set at but it should have some pressure in it even when empty.

 

[iplumb]

I have a weird plumbing situation I need some input on. Anytime someone takes a shower, after some time, if I turn on the hot water at the kitchen sink or other fixture, there is a brief pressure spike and then I hear a "honking" sound. My water heater is electric if that helps. Can anyone tell me what is going on?

This happens while the shower is still running or after? How old is your water heater? What brand? Is the honking sound coming from the faucet area? In the kitchen or directly from the heater.

 

[iplumb]

I have a weird plumbing situation I need some input on. Anytime someone takes a shower, after some time, if I turn on the hot water at the kitchen sink or other fixture, there is a brief pressure spike and then I hear a "honking" sound. My water heater is electric if that helps. Can anyone tell me what is going on?

Double post? Sorry

 

[Willl]

I'd be real curious as to what a pressure gauge would say/read.

 

[deerefan]

This happens while the shower is still running or after? How old is your water heater? What brand? Is the honking sound coming from the faucet area? In the kitchen or directly from the heater.

No expansion tank. The heater is 3 years old. The honking sound seems to be coming from close to the tank. I checked the tstats a while back when I had a spike in my electric bill and they checked ok. This issue was going on at that time too. The system is just a standard electric 50 gal. It happens after the shower is off.

 

[plykins]

I'd be real curious as to what a pressure gauge would say/read.

I would start by checking the water pressure while the problem is happening, to see if there is a change in the pressure. Sounds like there may be a restriction somewhere in the water system. Does it do it when the cold or the hot water is used or both? This could narrow it down to the cold or hot system. Have you checked the valve on the heater to make sure it is all the way open? It sounds far fetched, but I have seen valve that will close themselves over time. I have been a plumber for almost 40 years, so we should be able to figure this out.

 

[deerefan]

I would start by checking the water pressure while the problem is happening, to see if there is a change in the pressure. Sounds like there may be a restriction somewhere in the water system. Does it do it when the cold or the hot water is used or both? This could narrow it down to the cold or hot system. Have you checked the valve on the heater to make sure it is all the way open? It sounds far fetched, but I have seen valve that will close themselves over time. I have been a plumber for almost 40 years, so we should be able to figure this out.

It only happens when hot water is used. I do not have a shutoff valve on the hot or cold supply side, only at the water meter 600ft away at the road.