Expanding Pipe noise

kevinjames79

Hello guys

I am sure this question may have been asked before but searching didn't help much.

My 2 Main Steam pipes that run across the house are making the expanding noise. This noise comes when steam starts passing through them. These pipes pass through the steel beams (there is hole in the beam) and when these pipes expand, touches the steel beams and thus... NOISE.

Problem is that the gap between the steam pipe and the steel beam opening is very narrow... only in mm.. i cannot seem to put anything in there. I was able to take a wood shim and slide it in forcefully and that stopped the noise but after a day or two, the wood shim kind of burned because of heat and became loose and came off.

Any ideas? Any thing that stays in that small gap.

Kevin

Jamie Hall

My usual thought on expansion noise is the plastic from a plastic milk jug. It will take the temperature. You have a slightly difficult situation, though, in that you will need to keep the plastic sleeve from sliding out of position (it will, given half a chance) and at the same time ensure that it is not cut by the edges of the hole, which are probably quite sharp.

Had this been done right, the best option would have been a significantly bigger hole and the pipe suspended in the opening so it couldn't touch. They didn't do that. The next best would have been a grooved plastic bushing snapped into the hole, on which the pipe would slide. They didn't do that either. I think I would try to create a sleeve of the milk jug plastic about 3 inches wide, and slip it between the pipe and the hole so equal amounts were on either side, and hold it in place with band clamps on the pipe. It may not last...

kevinjames79

Thank you Jamie. I will try that today.