A two-chamber hydraulic energy recovery unit with a programmable controller and a data acquisition system was set up. Tap water was used as the working fluid instead of the actual seawater and concentrate in SWRO desalination plants. Experimental results were obtained on the fluctuations of the pressure and flow rate to and from the energy recovery unit. Characteristics of the pressure at the chamber ends were discussed at the conditions of the chambers set horizontally or vertically, with and without pistons.