Bangin' heating

[Will_S]

It seems noisy central heating isn’t an uncommon problem, but from reading various posts it also seems there can be a multitude of causes. I’m going to call a professional round, but I’d welcome any suggestions/advice from the experts here!

Basically the central heating (open-vented, with gas boiler in the garage) has recently starting making a banging noise when it fires up. It’s an intermittent problem, though, and I’ve had a couple of days where it’s behaved perfectly, but more often than not it occurs two or three times a day. Here’s a quick rundown of what happens:

- The noise lasts after about 30 seconds and usually doesn’t occur again until the boiler’s been off for a while
- Noise seems to originate from the boiler, surging round the pipes and then finishing at the hot water tank in the airing cupboard
- I’ve noticed the upstairs radiators frequently have air in them (a couple release air almost each time I bleed them)
- The noise starts as a banging, which is soon joined by a surging noise and I’ve occasionally heard water trickling through the radiators. It ends in a horrific rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat noise that’s not dissimilar to a gatling gun in the airing cupboard.
- The boiler frequently overheats (around twice a day), needing a reset each time.
- The pump seems to be working fine, although it does get VERY hot (I’m assuming this is normal and due to the hot water passing through it).

Many thanks!

Will

 

[spraggo]

It seems noisy central heating isn’t an uncommon problem, but from reading various posts it also seems there can be a multitude of causes. I’m going to call a professional round, but I’d welcome any suggestions/advice from the experts here!

Basically the central heating (open-vented, with gas boiler in the garage) has recently starting making a banging noise when it fires up. It’s an intermittent problem, though, and I’ve had a couple of days where it’s behaved perfectly, but more often than not it occurs two or three times a day. Here’s a quick rundown of what happens:

- The noise lasts after about 30 seconds and usually doesn’t occur again until the boiler’s been off for a while
- Noise seems to originate from the boiler, surging round the pipes and then finishing at the hot water tank in the airing cupboard
- I’ve noticed the upstairs radiators frequently have air in them (a couple release air almost each time I bleed them)
- The noise starts as a banging, which is soon joined by a surging noise and I’ve occasionally heard water trickling through the radiators. It ends in a horrific rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat noise that’s not dissimilar to a gatling gun in the airing cupboard.
- The boiler frequently overheats (around twice a day), needing a reset each time.
- The pump seems to be working fine, although it does get VERY hot (I’m assuming this is normal and due to the hot water passing through it).

Many thanks!

Will

The boiler thermostat is sticking and needs renewing, try turning the stat down a bit untill you get a new one.

 

[spraggo]

It seems noisy central heating isn’t an uncommon problem, but from reading various posts it also seems there can be a multitude of causes. I’m going to call a professional round, but I’d welcome any suggestions/advice from the experts here!

Basically the central heating (open-vented, with gas boiler in the garage) has recently starting making a banging noise when it fires up. It’s an intermittent problem, though, and I’ve had a couple of days where it’s behaved perfectly, but more often than not it occurs two or three times a day. Here’s a quick rundown of what happens:

- The noise lasts after about 30 seconds and usually doesn’t occur again until the boiler’s been off for a while
- Noise seems to originate from the boiler, surging round the pipes and then finishing at the hot water tank in the airing cupboard
- I’ve noticed the upstairs radiators frequently have air in them (a couple release air almost each time I bleed them)
- The noise starts as a banging, which is soon joined by a surging noise and I’ve occasionally heard water trickling through the radiators. It ends in a horrific rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat noise that’s not dissimilar to a gatling gun in the airing cupboard.
- The boiler frequently overheats (around twice a day), needing a reset each time.
- The pump seems to be working fine, although it does get VERY hot (I’m assuming this is normal and due to the hot water passing through it).

Many thanks!

Will

The boiler thermostat is sticking and needs renewing, try turning the stat down a bit untill you get a new one.

 

[Will_S]

Thanks for the quick reply. The boiler thermostat is already set pretty low, but I'll try setting it a bit lower and will make sure the engineer checks it out.

I did notice the radiators are very hot, so you may well have hit the nail on the head here. I guess the noise could therefore be coming from the steam created by the overheated water... although it does happen pretty soon after the boiler switches on.

 

[spraggo]

I did notice the radiators are very hot, so you may well have hit the nail on the head here. I guess the noise could therefore be coming from the steam created by the overheated water... although it does happen pretty soon after the boiler switches on.[/quote]

This could be due to poor circulation caused by the pump failing, have you checked that the small head tank in the loft is about 1/3 full of water?.

 

[Will_S]

This could be due to poor circulation caused by the pump failing, have you checked that the small head tank in the loft is about 1/3 full of water?.

Yes - in fact it's probably about half full.