Ceiling Radiator Knocking

JoshM

I live in a ground floor unit with ceiling radiators. They heat very well but continue to make loud knocking throughout the day and night (like a hammer hitting pipes). I have had a heating company come out and they said they could not do anything about it, but wanted confirmation.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to solve this? They noted the  knocking is from the large piping next to the radiator, which they assume is not tilted correctly. They said they could not change this though.

Thanks in advance for helpful responses..

Josh

JoshM

Knocking

Would bleeding the radiator potentially help?

Mark Eatherton

Steam or hot water?

It makes a big difference...



ME

JoshM

Not for sure..

I am assuming steam.. but wouldn't bet my life on it..

Mark Eatherton

Need to figure that out before we can move forward...

Otherwise, you are going to learn about a whole lot of stuff that isn't applicable to your problem.



Ask the maintenance man. He should know.



ME

Jean-David Beyer

Ask the maintenance man. He should know.

"Ask the maintenance man. He should know."



Perhaps he should, but he may not, and rather than admit it, he may lie to you.

Like my former heating contractor. They send out a guy to do the first annual maintenance on my W-M Ultra 3 mod-con boiler. The first thing he asked was whether it was oil or gas. I sent him on his way, and soon after, did not sign up for their annual maintenance plan that was way too cheap: under $100/ year. Even for free that kind of help would not be a bargain. I switched heating contractors.

JoshM

Steam

Mark,

Thanks. I am not a professional, but from everything I can tell, it is a steam system. Unfortunately, we do not have an onsite maintenance person. Regardless, assuming it is a steam system like I believe it is, is there any solution to this problem?

Thanks!

Josh

Mark Eatherton

Not much you can do...

unless you have access to the boiler and all of the other radiators in the building. First thing I'd do is turn the operating pressure down, like to 1 PSI with a 1/2 pound differential. That may make all the difference in the world. You also need to determine wether its a one pipe or a 2 pipe system.



I'd also recommend that once you determine the type of system you have that you move your questions to the steam section. Those guys are really the BEST at what they do. I know a lot about steam, but don't practice it on a daily basis like the guys in the steam section do. They do it in their sleep.



ME