Water hammer occurs when the flow of moving water is suddenly stopped by a closing valve. This sudden stop results in a tremendous spike of pressure behind the valve which acts like a tiny explosion inside the pipe. This pressure spike reverberates throughout the plumbing system, rattling and shaking pipes, until it is absorbed. Normally, a sufficient pocket of air will absorb such a pressure spike, but if no pocket of air is present, expensive fixtures and appliances within the plumbing system will be damaged as they are left to absorb this pressure spike.
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