Noisy pipes....

[thelewisgang]

Have got gas central heating/hot water & recently when the water comes on, on the timer at 7am it sounds like water is being flushed through the pipes and its so darn noisy. After a while it seems to get quieter but am just wondering what is causing it. Thanks in advance for any replies.

[WendyS]

Could it be air in the pipes? Bleeding each radiator individually might help. I don't know how old your system is but ours was 25 years old and rattled and banged like a steam train every morning when the heating came on. Then we changed our boiler and the whole radiator system was flushed out. When we saw the rubbish & sediment which came out of the pipes it was hardly surprising our system knocked and banged. Now our system kicks in at 6 a.m. totally silently, so perhaps getting a plumber flushing the system out might help. (If you can find a plumber, of course! They're as rare as hens teeth in our neck of the woods).

[thelewisgang]

thanks for your reply. I did guess it was probably air in the pipes. Our system is some 14 years old. We do not live in a hard water area and where we used to live, our water was very hard and the system we had then was 20 years+ but we didn't experience this problem. We have bled the rads and all seem ok - no cold spots etc. so we will probably have to get a plumber in. Problem is, not so much as finding one, more finding one that doesn't 'stitch you up' so to speak. Had a bad experience many years ago that I could write a book about but that is history now. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

[USTRAVELLER]

If your system is an indirect one (you will have 2 header tanks, a small one for the C/H and a large one for the water) try putting some corrosion inhibitor into the small tank after you drained the water level somewhat then fill up. Not only does this protect your system from corrosion I have found that it helps get rid of air and will reduce how hard the water is.

One thing to note is that if you have have a problem with air in the system it can cause the dreaded sludge which can plaque C/H systems and on on occassions fur up pipes reducing the amount of flow through them which can cause - noisy pipes. Put an hosepipe on your drain point and check the colour of your water. If it is a murky colour you may need to run the system with some de-sludging agent (availible from B+Q) before putting the inhibitor in.

This can be done with a little amount of technical expertise and will save you ��� and the risk of getting stuffed by a plumber

[stanleyman]

Sounds to me as if you maybe running out of water! Check to see if your ballcock has stuck in the little tank. If you have recently had work done it could also be an air lock in the pipes or the pump speed could be too high.

We heating engineers don't stuff everyone, just the ones who don't put the kettle on!

[thelewisgang]

thanks everyone for your replies & I will get my hubby to check everything & get the corrosion inhibitor stuff & hopefully one of the things said might help. thanks again, xx

[thelewisgang]

can I ask another question regarding my original posting. You have been very helpful and maybe, just maybe, this could be another problem with the noisy pipes (hubby hasn't had a chance yet to check the things you have recommended!). Tonight, we have the central heating on which has always been pretty efficient but tonight the radiators are so hot, almost boiling in fact. Something definitely seems not right somewhere so I'm trying to get 'him at home' to get some time from working too much to check all the things mentioned before. Any ideas as to what could be causing the rads to be soooooo hot?

[stanleyman]

Hi, central heating can run between 60 and 90 degrees Centigrade, 82C is the standard so is pretty hot anyway. This is normally controlled by the boiler thermostat but if this fails then there should be a limit stat that should cutout the boiler if the temperature reaches 100 - 120 degrees. You could try turning down the boiler thermostat to see if that has any effect.

The other cause is related to my previous answer where if the water level is low in the system then this could also cause the temperature to raise to boiling, but should cutout on the thermostats. Both problems are linked and could be making the system noisey.

If hubby hasn't the time to check this get someone in quickly as boiling water in the system can be very dangerous, it can also cause the plastic tank to melt in the loft causing a flood! Don't use it if you think it is boiling.

[thelewisgang]

thanks for your speedy reply - will get him to investigate very soon. I do appreciate your reply, thanks