no more banging! no more water hammer!

[Deleted User]

The noise has stopped, and here's what I think stopped it:

I'd given up trying to correct the ticking and banging in the farthest pipe in my one-pipe system (recently converted to gas in a neglected older house) after raising one side of the radiator at that end. I figured the pitch of the pipe leading to it had altered due to house settling and that I'd have to get a pro in to re-pitch it. But this season, a thorough second cleaning -- this time with several drainings from the bottom-most drain in the system at the return -- seems to have achieved a quieter system. The sludge that came out from the bottom of the return must have been constraining the passage of return condensation causing a choking effect that resulted in the banging last season. I also skimmed a bit and cleaned with Comstar Steam Clean then drained, refilled & added one Steamaster tablet. But thoroughly draining from the return is the one thing I never did before. Anyone else achieve a quieter system this way, without adjusting the pitch of the pipes?