Radiator heating pipe bangs really noisy.. help! (With picture)

magic90015

Hi.

I just moved to another new apartment.

and since the weather got colder there was this

noisy pipe banging.

It often started during night and randomly during days.

few plumber came but couldn't find the reason why.

so i  googled that if the radiator heater was uneven

this may cause the pipe banging noise?

I found that the heater in the hall right infront of my apartment is bent in the end little bit. is this be the reason why?

Please help me it's been going on for 3 weeks now.. Thank you

I am posting with the pix. this is pix of the central heater on the hall way. I checked the other heater that's in hall way and this is only that's bent like that. so is this causing the noisy banging sound?

kcopp

Looks like a simple.....

piece of hot water baseboard. It may be that the pipe as it heats up expands and when it expands it is rubbing along the flooring where it comes through. flip open the end cap and see if it is touching. If it is try to wedge in some foam to stop it.

magic90015

how do i open the end cap ?

It won't come off?

Do i have to tell the maintence office for this problem?

Or Do i just need to put some fome between it?

Thanx for quick reply!

Unknown

get

Get someone the boiler room now! The banging is possilbe no water pressure on the system and noise maybe from creating steam!

magic90015

Few plumber came to fix it

The noise goes on only for like 3 minute during day time.

so when ever I go to offie and bring someone with me

the boiler noise goes off or really slight noise.

and they say can't find the problem.

I told them several time at night time it's worse but they just quit finding.

Weezbo

the pic helps , a lot .

for now you have help. The banging noise could very well be steam and that thing you are worrying about is called baseboard in the venacular here. The thought i had last night was it sounds like the boiler is running bad and was a vent problem on a steam system.

it is something that will cost the owner plenty if he lets it go . see if you can get a hold of him and ask that he get a boiler heating repair and installation company owner to come over and do a quick walk through of the boiler and mechanical room . also , if this has a separate room for the circulators , see if any of the pumps are leaking . often these type of circulators are mounted on metal , bolted to the ground ,...

there is another distinct possibility that there was some work done before you arrived and they may have inadvertantly installed a zone valve backwards . if he has had some work done of that nature you need to point out to him that he should mention this to the owner of the boiler maintenance company, prior to the walk through...

that cover on the baseboard is little bit tweaked .

buh that , is not likey anything earth shattering or even remotely the problem .

iside of that is a copper tube with fins that allows air to pass over the pipe and convect 90 % of the heat away sorta.

i can tell you about taking the cover off . buh you call the guy who owns the place and roll out what i just said . and rjb 's concern as well. ok.?

brb.

Weezbo

magic90015

thx alot!

thx alot for quick reply.

It seems other unit in the first floor hears the noiset too.

but they just hear wall noise?

But I hear really loud Dung! Dung! like in the construction site.

Thnx for the info!

Weezbo

that type of heat is seldom used in steam,

on the third floor of a building . so we will make the leap of Faith and go with that this is some liquid system either district heat or hydronic Boilers .

to get the end cap off with a small screw drivers sorta simple i usually just tap the end cap away with the base of the screwdriver then if it moves push it further away in your case in the direction of the door to your right.then i grab the lower part near the floor and put my left hand on that big flat piece so it stays put and pull the lower side of the end cap forward.when i hear it sound like it unclipped i then pick the thing straight up.



..............

do you have anything like si lube or WD-40? or some joy dish soap or one of those cheapo plastic bags from the grocery store?as wellas the screwdriver ?

it an easy fix if its just squeaking or bound a little bit when it heats up.

.....

Weezbo

ok... i will let you in on a little secret...

BANG! Is Not Good!

You say that . and maybe he will be after it a whole lot faster.

MDNLansing

Rookie with steam

I currently own my first house with a steam system, so I'm a rookie with it. Learning and getting better, but still green with steam systems. However, I have and currently do own plenty of places with water heat. I have a fair amount of experience fixing and paying people to fix problems with hot water systems. I know how much it sucks to call in a guy to look at your heating system as a landlord because it can certainly get out of control fast. But I will tell you something I have learned. Banging in water systems only come from a few things. Loose pipes rattling in the walls, valves and pumps broken making noises, and steam.



Steam is the reason your landlord needs a real professional in there right NOW. Not the cheapest guy in town. Not some guy he knows that has hot water heat at home. A real, licensed professional from a good reputable company. The kind that cost you money to diagnose and fix the problem.



If steam is the cause of this noise, it can be dangerous. Very dangerous. I own a house that had a malfunction in a control unit that controlled multiple parts of the system (big mistake). Now the failure I had was kind of the perfect storm of boiler problems. It closed certain zones, circulated water in a zone with a broken pipe and failed to detect the water level. Long story short, the boiler fired and ran for a long time with no water in it.



Now I was very lucky. This failure simply cracked the tank and ruined the boiler. Thankfully it just overheated and cracked at a "weak" spot in the casting. However, I was very close to having a boiler that exploded, much like a very hot, very large bomb. Water systems that are producing steam banging have too much air in them. Too much air means something has failed and the system and safety mechanisms aren't working properly. It needs to be looked at right now. If it were me, based on my previous experience, I'd call someone in the middle of the night (or shut it down completely overnight) and pay the overtime rate. If the noise you hear is steam, it COULD be that serious.



Understand, it might not be a steam issue, and even if it is, it might not be as serious (or dangerous) as my problem was. But as a landlord, you can not roll the dice on this. It needs to be looked at right away. There could be a very dangerous situation in the boiler room and he MUST be concerned with the safety of his tenants over the cost of a professional.

MDNLansing

Water for sure

I think rjb's comment was that this IS a water system. Water hammer in a hot water system can be a very bad thing. See my post below, I damn near had a boiler explode in a house I rent out to a family with 3 kids.



Bottom line, if it's loose pipes, no big deal and your advice will do the trick. If its a bunch of steam in the system it is a big deal. Landlord needs a pro in there ASAP.

Weezbo

Magic ,

Did you manage to get a hold of the Owner of your building , ....?

it would be good if he could read the last post . This is why i suggest he get the owner of an installation and maintenance repair boiler company . Because he will put the complete picture together , a Young Tech might not catch what is really happening and be unaware of the minor technicalities as it were.

i have quite a few experiences , maybe i will share one with him if he stops in to read this post and addresses your concern .

William...

magic90015

I'll try to tell the office again

I'll try to tell the office again

it's just that every time during day time

they come they don't here the noise

and even i show couple of video feeds they say they don't know

and i just have to live with the noise.

Thanx for the replies!

Mark Eatherton

Backwards zone valve

Will make a BANG when it closes. Easy enough to test. Turn the thermostat up. Let it run for a minute, then turn it down and if it hammers, the zone valve is installed backwards.



If it doesn't, keep looking...



Low pressure, high operating temperatures, high head pump pumping towards PONPC could cause a steam flash, even in a hot water system...



ME

Weezbo

Howdy Mark

wish one of us could roll through there for an hour because were it an impeller were it a zonevalve were it a check recently installed a continuous water make up problem , leaky seals ,expansion tank whatever dollars for doughnuts we would have that dialed in and done one time.

magic may not be terribly mechanically inclined and likely has little to no access to the boiler and mech rooms or the remote stations , very little would escape our scrutiny .

I feel sad for this type of thing happening in the 'World" .... the folks in the office are likely somewhat distanced from the owner who expects them to keep things working properly.

What to do....?