Air Chambers, Pipe behind shower wall that just terminates

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Cody

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I am replacing the bathtub in our house and in doing so will be changing out the shower valve, but after searching the forum and Google, I can't seem to find an answer to a question I have.

After exposing the current plumbing I noticed there is a little more than a foot of pipe that goes straight up and then just terminates (see picture). It is the same way for a pipe on the other side that leads out from the bathroom and into the kitchen.

What is the reason for this? Do I need to maintain the same setup when I install the new shower valve or can I just replace it with a 90 degree fitting that then goes straight to the new valve?
 

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Terry

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Those are air chambers. No longer installed, as they water log over time and become useless.
Newer shower valves a slow closing anyway, and no longer need water hammer protection. I haven't installed air chambers since the 70's.

Things that need hammer protection in a home are
Dishwasher
Ice Maker
Clothes Washer.
For those I use hammer arrestors that have a sealed piston. They don't water log. Well...........sorta don't. They do wear out over time.

moen-chateau-air-chambers.jpg
 

Cody

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Awesome. Thanks for the quick reply Terry. I've used this site a lot over the past few weeks and it's been great, but I haven't had to actually make an account until now. My house was built in 68 so that makes sense. I'll just get rid of it then. I'm guessing I can leave the one in place on the other side, since it doesn't sound like it's hurting anything, right?
 
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