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Hello all,
I recently installed a new 12 zone sprinkler system to cover for ~18,000 sq.ft and when I turn on any of the zones, there is water hammering for at least 3-4 seconds. I haven't buried the pipes yet, any idea how to resolve this as I am really concerned that over time joints and T's will give up. I am using public water with the 1-inch line coming inside the home via the basement, like 10 feet deep in the ground. The 1-inch line is connected to 3/4 inch copper pipe which after a few feet I placed a T to source water for my sprinkler system. Basically, 1 -inch line transitioned to 10-11 feet of 3/4 inch copper pipe with a manual stop valve and a drain valve that again transitions back to a 1-inch PVC that I am using throughout my sprinkler system. Also, should I put a master valve on the mainline? I am using Rainmachine HD16 so I do have master valve control, nonetheless, I am not sure if it is better to leave entire system pressurized to avoid wear and tear versus using a master valve. I would appreciate experts thought on this. Thanks in advance.

Sprinkler warehouse has a great article on troubleshooting "water hammer" issues with a sprinkler system.

See https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/scho ... eshooting/

Note that the first thing to do is to determine if the problem is water hammer or is air in the pipes. The article walks you through how to diagnose each and what to do to fix it after making the diagnosis.

(By the way, my vote given your description is air trapped in the pipes.)

ken-n-nancy wrote: ↑

May 2nd, 2019, 9:38 pm

Sprinkler warehouse has a great article on troubleshooting "water hammer" issues with a sprinkler system.

See https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/scho ... eshooting/

Note that the first thing to do is to determine if the problem is water hammer or is air in the pipes. The article walks you through how to diagnose each and what to do to fix it after making the diagnosis.

(By the way, my vote given your description is air trapped in the pipes.)

Thanks for the reference article, I will try to find out the source of water hammer this weekend.

Also look at irrigationtutorials.com. He has a good write up on water hammer too. I have water hammer too. Wish I had gone with 1 1/4" main lines but my neighbor talked me out of it saying it was overkill. Ended up putting in a pressure regulator, use the water hammer setting on my rachio (it opens the second zone before closing the first), and adjust the order of zones so that the is least demanding zones are last.