What is a water hammer?
What is a water hammer?
Water hammer is the often counterintuitive result of stopping water that is in motion in a fluid system; the collective momentum of the water acts as a "hammer" and can create a high-pressure shockwave that damages, or destroys piping, valves, or equipment.

For example, it may be easy to close a water valve. Yet moments later it might explode from the sudden pressure of all the "upstream" water being forced to stop.
Water hammer is the often counterintuitive result of stopping water that is in motion in a fluid system; the collective momentum of the water acts as a "hammer" and can create a high-pressure shockwave that damages, or destroys piping, valves, or equipment.

For example, it may be easy to close a water valve. Yet moments later it might explode from the sudden pressure of all the "upstream" water being forced to stop.
general_qa
en