Water hammer is one of the most common reasons for failure in a pressure sensor. Water hammer is the phenomenon where a fast moving fluid is suddenly stopped by the closing of a valve. The fluid has momentum that is suddenly arrested causing the incompressible fluid to minutely stretch the vessel in which it is constrained. A large bang is heard when the pressure spike is generated.

Any weak part of the system is subject to distortion. The pressure sensor sees this pressure spike and can easily be, and is very often, damaged by it. The effects of "water hammer" can be dramatically reduced with the insertion of a snubber in the pressure line just before the pressure sensor.

The snubber is usually a mesh filter or sintered material that allows pressurized fluid to pass through, but does not allow large pressure spikes.