Banging, clicking, hissing, boiler turning on and off.....

Jamie Hall

get the book and read it. But come back on here, too, with questions. The very best minds in the industry read this wall (that doesn't include me) and, if you are honest with your questions and don't try to go beyond your depth, they are unbelievably helpful!

Stay-at-home mom with two kids

Banging, clicking, hissing, boiler turning on and off.....

Hi Everyone,
We have lived in this house for almost five years. heating has never been perfect. everyone who has serviced our boiler says it's way to big for our house and we probably should have replaced it, but we didn't. Anyway, the boiler often fires up and shuts down then fires up again. Then, it recently started banging (in the basement near the boiler). The radiators in my infant son's room and the master are hissing. Right this moment, the radiator in the family room is making a clicking noise. Basically, the whole system is making so much noise, it's waking us all up at night and from naps (my "me" time!) Any suggestions???
Thanks,
Adrienne

Timco

My guess is you have steam heat? What is your pressure? Are there 1 or 2 pipes to each radiator? There is a gauge on the boiler that tells you the pressure, and a box in the vicinity of the gauge that controls pressure. Too much pressure makes for banging all over. Also, if a radiator vent keeps on hissing after the radiator is hot, soak it in vinigar or hard water dissolving fluid, or replace it. they are cheap.

Tim

Linda R

Highly recommend you read the book before trying to do stuff...

I'm in a similar situation to you. I just got the book from http://www.heatinghelp.com We Got Steam Heat - A Homeowners Guide. Its the best 25 bucks I ever spent. It explains everything about how your system should work, what the noises might be related to, and what are the things you can do - such as cleaning the steam valves like the other reply suggested. After you read the book you'll really understand what's going on and whether you need to get a professional in or not. Its a small easy-to-read book so don't be intimidated.
(I have no affiliation with the author).
Good luck.
Linda

Kool Rod

I agree with Linda, "We Got Steam Heat" is a book that everyone with a steam heating system must have. Easy to read and understand, crammed with information so that in an evening or two you'll know all about your steam system. Here's link to a page with more information:

http://www.heatinghelp.com/shopcart/product.cfm?category=2-109

- Rod

Stay-at-home mom with two kids

thanks...

yes, we have steam heat. there is one pipe on each radiator. I looked for the pressure gage - it is all the way down and the psi needle isn't moving? And yes, I checked it while the furnace was on! is it possible that it is broken? There is still quite a bit of banging and clanking/clicking coming from the pipes primarily those near the furnace (in the basement). I will order the book, but was hoping there was an easy explanation and a quick fix...

Jamie Hall

Fixes...

tend to be relatively easy (unless something is really broken, which is rare), but can take a little thinking, and a little time to get really right. The books will help a lot.

Not surprised that the psi needle on the gauge doesn't move. Boilers should have a safety valve, almost always set at 15 psi, and the safety codes require a pressure gauge which reads to twice the safety valve setting, or 30 psi. Since it is unlikely that even if the boiler's controller is set way too high (which it probably is) that the pressure will get up to more than one or two psi, that gauge won't show you much.

The real banging is called water hammer, and there are any number of causes for it! Clanking might be water hammer, but could also be expansion; clicking is usually expansion. The hissing suggests the boiler is running at too high a pressure -- but also suggests that there may not be adequate venting (read all about it!).

All this is rather fun to look at!

Kool Rod

Adrienne- One of the big things that help diagnose a noise problem is to note approximately when the noise occurs in the steam cycle. The steam cycle starts when the burner on the boiler turns on and ends when the burner turns off. There will then be a period of "off" time and then cycle will begin again. For descriptive purposes divide the cycle into three time periods: "Beginning", "Middle" and "End".

Noises at the Beginning of the cycle may have different causes from noises at the Middle or End of the cycle though they may sound the same. This is why it helps to note what part of the cycle they occur as then we have a better idea of what the cause may be.

Try to determine: (Good idea to keep a log so you can tell if the noise is reoccurring at the same time in each cycle and in the same location)

1. Type of noise: Gurgle, bang, creak etc.

2. Location of the noise: In the radiator, in the walls, near the boiler etc. (This is probably the hardest thing to determine)

3. What part of the steam cycle does it occur? - B M E

4. Was it on the first cycle after the boiler has been off for a while? (say for an hour or more ?)

Another thing you might do is to check and make sure the valve (the black knobbed "tap") on pipe where it leads into each radiator is FULLY OPEN. On a one pipe steam system these valves must either be fully open or fully closed, with open being the preferable position.

Closing these valves halfway or even partially causes problems. The condensate (water) is flowing out of the radiator back to the boiler and the steam is trying to go the opposite way into the radiator. If the valve isn't fully open, the passage through the valve is narrowed and the water and steam collide causing noise (Water Hammer).

Residential steam systems are really quite simple and trouble free once you understand them. They aren't complicated, you just have to know and apply some very simple rules. As I mentioned before "We Got Steam Heat" will give you a quick understanding of your system so we can help you with your questions. It's not "just a text book" and is quite entertaining reading while at the same time being full of information.

- Rod