Pro/Forums - View Single Post - Water Hammer Suppressor

Since87 · 10-28-2002, 07:59 PM

I've got a Danner Mag5 I am thinking of using in a WC system. One thing that bothers me is that this pump seems to transmit a lot of vibration through the water. (I presume as the impeller blade is passing the outlet, that the output pressure spikes.)

Being an electronics guy, I frequently think of water flow in terms of analogies to electrical current flow. If I had a device that was putting out spikes of electrical current, I could put a capacitor on the output to absorb the energy of the spikes and release it more gradually over time.

It seems reasonable to me, that the equivalent of a capacitor for water systems could be set up. To make an extreme analogy: Suppose I take one of those long skinny balloons that clowns twist into dogs and such. I cut the closed end off, and then slide one end over the pump outlet, and one end over the tubing to the rest of the loop. A lot of the pressure spike would go into inflating the balloon instead of shooting down the tubing. After the spike subsided the balloon would more gradually apply the stored pressure to the tubing.

My impression is that the water hammer suppressors you can buy at the hardware store do something similar to this. (Although, they may only be useful for much higher pressure events than the spikes coming out of a Mag5 pump.)

Anyone know if my analogy is applicable? If so, is there any good way to implement something like this for a pond pump?

10-28-2002, 07:59 PM	#1
Since87 Pro/Guru - Uber Mod Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Indiana Posts: 834	Water Hammer Suppressor - Useful? I've got a Danner Mag5 I am thinking of using in a WC system. One thing that bothers me is that this pump seems to transmit a lot of vibration through the water. (I presume as the impeller blade is passing the outlet, that the output pressure spikes.) Being an electronics guy, I frequently think of water flow in terms of analogies to electrical current flow. If I had a device that was putting out spikes of electrical current, I could put a capacitor on the output to absorb the energy of the spikes and release it more gradually over time. It seems reasonable to me, that the equivalent of a capacitor for water systems could be set up. To make an extreme analogy: Suppose I take one of those long skinny balloons that clowns twist into dogs and such. I cut the closed end off, and then slide one end over the pump outlet, and one end over the tubing to the rest of the loop. A lot of the pressure spike would go into inflating the balloon instead of shooting down the tubing. After the spike subsided the balloon would more gradually apply the stored pressure to the tubing. My impression is that the water hammer suppressors you can buy at the hardware store do something similar to this. (Although, they may only be useful for much higher pressure events than the spikes coming out of a Mag5 pump.) Anyone know if my analogy is applicable? If so, is there any good way to implement something like this for a pond pump?