noise from radiators when heating is coming on/off

[jgkgolf]

Hi, we get a clicking noise from two of our radiators when the heating comes on/off. They are the largest radiators in our main bedroom and living room. It's not a very loud noise but in the silence at 6:25 in the morning it is really annoying!

As the other radiators are unaffected I assume it's not coming from the boiler or air in the pipes. I've put lagging around the pipes in these rooms where they touch joists etc and removed any air from the rads , all to no avail.

The central heating was only installed about 18 months ago and the first winter we didn't notice the problem. I suspect it may be caused by the radiator not having the plastic clip where it is hung on the wall bracket and the expansion of the radiator causes movement. The top half of the rad gets hot before the clicking starts. The rads were removed for decorating etc last summer so the clip may not have been replaced.

does this sound plausible before I get the plumber out to test this theory?

[Ian Stirling]

Try pushing and pulling on the radiator while it's clicking. If the clicking is unaffected, it's unlikely to be the fixing.

[Dave Liquorice]

That is what is causing the noise. Expansion against a "sticky" surface tension builds up enough to overcome the stickion and "click" or on the case of one of ours "doing" quite loud... Track down the sticky contact point and lubricate it, not sure what with oils will evaporate, grease will melt. Graphite powder?

[Set Square]

Yes, it's most likely to be the rad moving on its bracket due to expansion.

[Dave Fawthrop]

|On 25 Jan 2006 05:07:47 -0800, [e-mail] wrote: | |> the expansion of the radiator causes movement.=20 | |That is what is causing the noise. Expansion against a "sticky"=20 |surface tension builds up enough to overcome the stickion and "click"=20 |or on the case of one of ours "doing" quite loud... Track down the=20 |sticky contact point and lubricate it, not sure what with oils will=20 |evaporate, grease will melt. Graphite powder?

Candle grease is traditional.

--=20 Dave Fawthrop

17,000 free e-books at Project Gutenberg! Yorkshire Dialect go to

[Fatboise]

This is what I love about this type of Forum. Your browsing through an all of a sudden you see a problem that somebody has which is exactly th same as yours then as you read through the solution is revealed (tha clicking noise is quite loud at 6:30am) But best of all you get ne words like "stickion" Dave, I'm not having a go at you just loved the word. Reminded me of m daughter who was wrecked and knackered at the same time .....WRECKERE

-- Fatboise

[Dave Liquorice]

Pity I didn't spell it right, "stiction".

[jgkgolf]

Thank you all for your replies.

I've managed to put some wd40 on the wall bracket which seems to have solved the problem but I'm not sure if it will evaporate in a short time? If so I'd rather get the plumberto take off the radiator now and put the plastic bracket on before I lay carpets.

[robkgraham]

Well, well - and there's me been thinking all these years that it was due to the expansion of the pipes on the long straight run to our bedroom ! I will now check the radiator supports but I suspect that my original explanation is more likely.

Rob

[<me9]

Both can cause noises. I have been known to apply a drop of oil to cure the creaking of a bedroom radiator on its bracket, but often the pipes creak as well, unless they have been wrapped in felt where they pass through joists in any long runs.