Is it normal for a sprinkler system to make a loud thump sound when it switches to a different station?

Question

I have a sprinkler system that waters my yard daily. Every time it switches to a different station to water another part of the yard, it makes a loud thump sound. It almost sounds like a pipe has burst. Is that normal or is there something that can be done about it? I'm just afraid a pipe might burst someday.

Answer 1

The thump would be considered "water hammer" and yes it could possibly cause a failure. This is from a sudden change in the direction of flow of water.

While closing fire hydrants too fast I have seen water mains burst and even blow out holes in the pavement. Yours wouldn't be to that scale though.

Answer 2

if you have very good water pressure the valves will make some noise when they come on, but it sounds like you are hearing the pipes inside your house rattle.

if this is the case yes it is water hammer.

the irrigation system is actually sucking water out of your house to use for your yard.

it wont hurt anything

if it is just a few pipes hitting each other, the cheapest and easiest solution would be to try to situate the pipes or strap them down so they wont bang around.

the best thing to do would be have a plumber put a backflow preventer on the houses water line before the water line gets to the plumbing in your home.

this will not let any water back through to the irrigation.

but it will still let water come into your house.

good luck and hope this helps

Answer 3

you need to bleed the air out of the lines. it should tell you how to do it correctly in your owners manual.

Answer 4

no,no,no