Water Hammer after Washer Hose Replacement

[Stewart5906]

Update 7/1: Problem Solved! Thank you @Worth Florida!

Recently my husband changed the hot and cold water hoses on the washer with new hoses, and the water hammer issues started immediately.

The washer has Sioux Chief AA size mini resters installed at the wall, not on the washer. They must have been installed by the previous owner. We've only been here 6 months so that would have been 6+ months ago but could have been up to 5 years ago. All worked fine with no water hammer issues until the hoses were changed.

I tried draining the pipes by turning the water supply off then turning on the highest and lowest faucets in the house, though I only let them stay on until they finished draining. That hasn't helped.

I can try draining the pipes again but short of that, what could be causing this? Could the arresters have gone bad? Is there something my husband could have overlooked when replacing the hoses?

 

[WorthFlorida]

The biggest problem is someone's interpretation of water hammer. With most washers the fast flowing water will usually make a thud noise depending on the pressure, but if the pipes are a bit lose in the walls it will exacerbate the noise. What most likely has happened is the new hoses do not flex as mush as the old ones. If the old ones were all black rubber they will expand a bit and move absorbing the impact. You do not want old all rubber hoses since they have a high failure rate.

Another is the old hoses may have had screened washers at the wall connection. They were maybe clogged up some with mineral deposits and debris restriction flow, thereby when the washer shut the valve close, the impact of stopping a volume of water was far less.

What you can try is slightly close off the valves to restrict flow and see how it works out. It will take longer to fill the washer but with most new washers, they use far less water per fill cycle than years ago. It may not be so noticeable that it's taking too long to fill.

At the washer connection there are usually is a plastic type inserts at the valve. If they were removed this would also speed up the water flow. The replacement with SS casing is about the best there is. If all you husband did is change the hose and nothing else, it's not his fault. It's doubtful the mini arrestors failed. The washer box was made with the arrestors, not added later on.

 

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[Stewart5906]

The biggest problem is someone's interpretation of water hammer. With most washers the fast flowing water will usually make a thud noise depending on the pressure, but if the pipes are a bit lose in the walls it will exacerbate the noise. What most likely has happened is the new hoses do not flex as mush as the old ones. If the old ones were all black rubber they will expand a bit and move absorbing the impact. You do not want old all rubber hoses since they have a high failure rate.

Another is the old hoses may have had screened washers at the wall connection. They were maybe clogged up some with mineral deposits and debris restriction flow, thereby when the washer shut the valve close, the impact of stopping a volume of water was far less.

What you can try is slightly close off the valves to restrict flow and see how it works out. It will take longer to fill the washer but with most new washers, they use far less water per fill cycle than years ago. It may not be so noticeable that it's taking too long to fill.

At the washer connection there are usually is a plastic type inserts at the valve. If they were removed this would also speed up the water flow. The replacement with SS casing is about the best there is. If all you husband did is change the hose and nothing else, it's not his fault. It's doubtful the mini arrestors failed. The washer box was made with the arrestors, not added later on.

Thanks! This is super helpful. I'm going to try restricting the flow some and hope that helps. I had no idea the washer box was made with the arresters. It would have been suspicious to me as well had the arresters failed at the same time as the hoses changed. The old hoses were also stainless steel but hubby says he doesnt know if there were screened washers. Also, he doesnt recall how open the valves were so it may very well be that they werent on all the way.