AA-size water hammer arresters are now sweeping the country as the permanent and affordable solution to that age-old problem of banging pipes and system damage caused by water hammer pressure surges, but this progress has been a long time in the making. Like many things in our industry, change doesn't happen overnight. Process and product innovation, industry education, along with new product standards and codes, have led the way.
For decades, most plumbing engineers have seen the need to control water hammer and have specified engineered water hammer arresters in commercial plumbing systems for this purpose. An engineered arrester employs a compressible cushion of air or gas that allows the non-compressible flowing water to be displaced in its chamber, rather than stop abruptly. Arresters are also designed to permanently maintain their pressure charge.