Ticking noise from radiators or pipes.

twopenny

Bear with my story.

20yr old radiators. Had them flushed and balanced, mended leak from one joint and all worked amazingly, quiet running, heating better just the bees knees.

But the plumber spotted the immersion was leaking so replacement. This caused air bubbles in the hot water pipes where he'd got air in.

At the same time I asked for new TRV's to be fitted as the old ones were very stiff.

The radiators weren't getting properly hot so he came and bled them all. Now they are heating up well but there is the sound from 2 rooms like someone tapping them with a ring on their knuckle (could be described as ticking or clicking) sometimes twice a second and mostly morning and early evening to night. Also occasionally the odd tapping sound from the pipe leading from the boiler either up the adjoing wall or in the roof where it comes in. Seems to come from the pipes in the wall more than the radiators. I tried bleeding again but no air came out. Also I tried to see if it was at start up of the boiler or cool down but since I started writing this it's stopped doing it!

Confined to home with lockdown and the weather this is driving me nuts as it's quite loud in the current surrounding silence. I wondered if anyone knew what this might be?  I will email them and ask them to call again and I think they will. A good little company, promt, cheerful and helpful and efficient. I don't want to loose them after previous experiences.

Belenus

That ticking or clicking is often caused by pipes rubbing against wooden joists or floorboards etc as the pipes expand and contract with temperature changes. The pipes stick with the friction from the wood and then suddenly move jerkily and make that noise.

Has any pipework been disturbed or replaced?

Pipes that are close to or against wood should have a thin cloth or similar wrapped around them to prevent that noise as the pipes move smoothly and not jerkily.

Jeepers_Creepers

Expansion sounds - as Bel is referring to - is usually a regular tick...tick...tick, perhaps as often as once every one or two seconds. It should stop, tho', after a while - when the pipe has done all the expanding it's gonna do. It might restart with cooling, of course...

Another sound you can get from TRVs is a 'tinkling' sound - much faster - but this was usually only from older, one-directional TRVs which were fitted the wrong way around, ie on the return pipe of the rad (guess how i know...)

Most - all? - modern TRVs are bi-directional, so I'm guessing it's not that.

The two rooms involved - are there pipes run in the wall?

molerat

As above, if TRVs have been changed it is likely they are not exactly the same length as the originals and have pushed the pipes slightly out of line so rubbing as they come up through the floor.

JGB1955

Our central heating goes off at about 22:00  There is still clicking/ticking going on at 1:00 a.m. but I have learned to ignore it - it's definitely the house 'going to sleep' and isn't there when it 'wakes up' at 06:30.  

twopenny

The pipes have only been disturbed around the immersion heater so not where the noise is.

He did fix a leak from one end of a radiator that's noisy but I think that was just cleaning and tightening a bolt - that was there when I moved in.

The pipes come down the wall (dry wall, concrete floor) I think. Someone did say the pipes may have been concreted in but I don't think so. The pipe from the boiler goes from the garage, along the floor and up the house wall side so I'm thinking in the roof. That's also where you get some 'noises' as everything cools down - that I've got used to mostly.

The pipes are micro bore I heard the plumber cussing when trying to get everything working to my satisfaction lol.

I wonder if it's the TRV's, wish I hadn't had them changed now. They aren't all set exactly straight ie the little arrow thing is to the side slightly. Maybe there's some difficulty there but didn't happen when I had 2 new ones fitted a year or so ago and one noise is coming from there.

It seems to be playing with me as it won't do it tonight for long enough for me to get up off the sofa and try and track it.

Thanks for the ideas. I'm very twitchy because druing the real Beast from the East my boiler had broken down, flooded, no heaters to be had and daren't leave the property (which was for sale) in case of frozen pipes so I was inside at 0C with the condensation which ruined paintwork and freezing. No heaters to be had as all sold out and no stock could get through.

I'd called the plumber 2 days before about a noise in the pipes and it wouldn't perform for him, he said it will last you another 10yrs.

Anyhow, I'll get in the roof when the weather warms up so I know more about what's going on with the pipe work. I might still email them and see if he'll drop by at the end of the day and see if he has any ideas. Such a shame when he'd done a masterly job on the flushing and immersion.

Belenus

twopenny said:

The pipes have only been disturbed around the immersion heater so not where the noise is.

Noise can travel a long way in pipes and the source is often difficult to track down. The source may be several rooms away from where you are hearing it.

Are the micro bore pipes copper of plastic?

Can you take and post some pictures of the TRVs, the pipework around them and the pipework around the boiler. That may give someone a clue.

Jeepers_Creepers

A rattling TRV noise would be obviously from the valve and rad itself - you wouldn't be looking elsewhere. So I doubt it's that. Happy New Valves.

M'rats' idea is possible - the pipe coming up from the floor/out from the wall has been moved slightly so it is tighter against the exit hole and whatever is behind the wall.

You'd need for the sound to return to be able to trace it, tho'. Damn that pipework for going quiet on you...

twopenny

Mixed blessing Jeepers.

Bear with me. I'll do my best with photos.

twopenny

 

This is the nut that was sealed, one of the ones leading to the radiator. I think the one going into the radiator. The noise goes up the wall and is also loud in the bathroom behind - it joins the radiator there.

And I can see that the pipe is pushing against the wall. If it starts ticking again I can wedge it away with a bit of card and see if that helps?

This is the other radiator where I get the noise and it's right by my sofa. Nothing has been done to this one and I think it's the end of the line because it heats up last - though it's nearest to the boiler.

 

This is the run of the pipe from the boiler. Seems it does go into concrete. Great! The noise must be coming from the corner after it runs below the door. They don't mention stuff like this on these home renovation programmes.

Apologies for the dirty spade. Shameful. I had a load of 'stuff' not heavy, on that corner. I'll try leaving it cleared and nothing touching the pipe.

I did open up the valves today it was so cold and that stops the noise a bit. But I turned them down in despair and it didn't increase.

Jeepers_Creepers

Hmm, I doubt it's caused by the pipe rubbing against the plasterboard hole - that tends to be soft and chalky - not really 'ticking' territory.

Opening the valves further stopped the noise a bit? Right away? If so, I doubt it's expansion ticking.

In your third photo - showing the pipe running across the door threshold - that ain't a CH pipe, is it? Unlagged?! Are you sure it's not the gas pipe or similar? Does it get warm?

I can't see any other pipes coming out that boiler, so they must either go up through the ceiling, or else through that wall behind the boiler?