Free Personal Plumbing Info.

vividearth

My heating system seem to be making really loud noises - like crazy loud! Strange thing is I cannot seem to work out where it is coming from - only thing I can think of is to start pulling up floorboards and see if pipes are loose - does that make sense?

harryhound

What sort of system is it? Presumably the fuel is gas?
(does it have its own little expansion/header tank, probably in the loft?)
How old is it?
Does the "banging" coincide with some activity:
Turning on the hot tap/shower?
The gas firing up?
The central heating circulating pump starting up?
Etc.

Steve_xx

I noticed that B&Q, who sell gas connectors, sell the bayonet cooker connector minus the nut and olive that is required to connect copper pipe to the bayonet fitting. I'm just curious as to why this connector would be sold without the nut and olive? This doesn't seem peculiar to B&Q as I have noticed these connectors for sale online and at Screwfix and all are minus the nut and olive. By the way, the ones I've seen all have a thread on them, so would require a nut and olive.

vividearth

harryhound wrote: »

What sort of system is it? Presumably the fuel is gas?
(does it have its own little expansion/header tank, probably in the loft?)
How old is it?
Does the "banging" coincide with some activity:
Turning on the hot tap/shower?
The gas firing up?
The central heating circulating pump starting up?
Etc.

Hi Harry

It is pressure system running on mains (sorry if this doiesn't make sense - my plambing knowledge is zero). It used to run from a tank in the loft but I had al that removed. As far as I am aware it does not coincide with anything - seems random. Not sure how I would tell if the central heating circulation pump was starting up (or where to find it for that matter). Could it be some of the pipe work going up to loft not being fixed to something and now having mains pressure pushed through? Someone suggested that but sounds too loud for just pipe rattling?

ps - yes, fuel is gas.

harryhound

It sounds like you have a "combi"? No hot water tank?

It has a little pressure dial and a valve that allows you to (re) pressurise the central heating, should the needle look like falling into the red zone?

I was going to suggest putting an additive in the expansion tank, but you don't have one of those! From what you say it sounds louder than an amplified version of the sort of noise that an electric kettle makes when it is coming up to the boil ?

Does it make the banging noise in the summer when there is no call for central heating?


In my experience (only that of a well informed householder and self builder) central heating noises are caused by water in the heat exchanger momentarily boiling, because the inside of the exchanger is in some way microscopically pitted; the pipes being unable to expand/contract smoothly as their temperature changes and so making jerking clicking noises; or a hammer effect being created by a valve snapping shut and bouncing as it tries to stop the column of fast moving water in the pipe. Central heating systems are sometimes able to amplify such noises out of all proportion to the original source of the sound.
An experienced service engineer might have come across a similar problem specific to your sort of installation and kit used.

Harry.

PS In the days before computers, car mechanics would listen to a car engine using a metal rod (something like a ring spanner would do). Listening to the other end of the rod could reveal which component inside the engine was not running smoothly. You might be able to do the same trick listening to the pipes of your central heating system, if it will make the "banging" noises on demand.
(Now tell me you have microbore or under floor plastic heating pipes;))

neil_e

Hi All
I have full hot and cold water downstairs and hot water upstairs but no cold water to either toliet, basin or bath tap although strangely enough I do have some cold water to a 'power shower' (seperate pipe). I appears to have two cold water tanks upstairs -one on top of the other and a boiler. I have had the house six years and when i used to get a reduced flow I used to just fix a hose to the outside mains and then attach it to either bath or basin and blow out the air lock or whatever it was. Now this doesn't seem to work and I have no cold water coming into either of taps or cistern in toilet. Is it best to investigate the tank first, although it looks wakward because of what seems to be one smaller tank on top of the larger one and multitudes of pipes. Scares the living daylights out of me really. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Marmajuke_2

Hello Ian,
Radiators. Cold at the top, hot at the bottom I understand & can deal with. But t'other way round? Out of the six (two on first floor, four on ground floor)this ailment seems only to affect two of the ground floor rads, & I suspect the last two in the circuit/ furthest away from boiler.
Whole (Wickes) system installed 10-15 years ago.
Hope that's enough info!
Thanks.

The_Governor

I've got some Fernox F3 cleaner and was planning to get the Fernox MB1 inhibitor.

The F3 comes in 500ml bottles for 10 rads, I have 17 rads so presumably I should use two bottles.

Likewise for the MB1 stuff, should I add 8 litres not 4, as on the 4l bottle it says for up to 10 rads?

Am I overthinking this, and in reality it doesn't matter how much I add?

Better still, can I use something other than MB1 that requires less volume to add it?

[Edit] Think I answered my own question, the have F1 which comes in 500ml bottles so I'll use that. It does beg the question why have MB1 in the first place though if it requires 8 times as much volume....

Beri

My en-suite is above the garage and has a tiled floor, is it possible to put poly pipe Connected to a radiator under the tiles via the garage ceiling to heat the floor from below?

mighty_mo_2

hello. we have a gravity feed centeral heathing. was told it need flushing , had done by a so caled frind, but still have the same problems, 2 rads upstairs are burning hot ,the others are warm, also it takes so long for the house to warm, and now the expasion tank is dripping too.help , please:mad: