I have received a lot of renewed interest in the subject of water hammer. I recall the outcry in regard to an article I wrote on the subject matter more than 10 years ago. I declared that air chambers don't work. But I wasn't the first to make such a bold statement - Dr. Al Steele wrote the same words more than 20 years ago.
Engineering schools have been teaching students for decades that air chambers don't work. However, for some unknown reason, air chambers became the sacred cow of plumbing in many parts of the country.