Are water hammer arrestors really necessary? how common is this problem of hammer?

Question

Are water hammer arrestors really necessary? how common is this problem of hammer?

Answer 1

Tecnically no I guess, they are lifes little niceties. water "hammer" happens when you have water flowing and abruptly stop it ie. shutting the faucet. The arrestor is a chamber that when the water system in your house is charged- traps a volume of air.Air being compressible cushions that sudden stop. on second thought I guess they are necessary- over time all that hammering will cause the pipes to leak from shock loads!