Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.
Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Loud clicking noise every night

I live on the second floor of an 100yr 3-family house in Boston. We have 5 radiators that are fed from a steam boiler in the basement. The radiator in my bedroom, which is the furthest away from the central pipe leading downstairs, emits a loud ticking or clicking noise whenever it turns on. I have a video of the noise it makes but not sure I'm able to post here. It wakes me up almost every night and I've resorted to cranking the heat up before bed, turning it off and waking up freezing. The radiator is pitched correctly and I've already tried a new air vale (vent rite #1). Is there any solution out there? I've spoken to a few plumbers over the phone who said there's unfortunately nothing they can do.






0
Leave a Comment
Categories
- 80.9K THE MAIN WALL
- 2.5K A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
- 36 Biomass
- 394 Carbon Monoxide Awareness
- 2.6K Controls
- 1.4K Domestic Hot Water
- 3.7K Gas Heating
- 100 Geothermal
- 129 Indoor-Air Quality
- 2.3K Oil Heating
- 30 Pipe Deterioration
- 560 Plumbing
- 4.2K Radiant Heating
- 332 Solar
- 12.1K Strictly Steam
- 36 Water Quality
- 7 Industry Classes
- 50 Job Opportunities
- 7 Recall Announcements
Comments
You can tell steam has arrived at the radiator when the valve gets "steam hot" (too hot to hold onto for even 1 second)
Here's a short video of the noise it makes
1. Expansion of the radiator joints
2. Water hammer caused by steam coming into contact with cool water
I think yours is #2 but I'll be interested to see what others think.
How is the level of your radiator when measured with the level lying on the top from side to side? It should slope slightly toward the valve side. EDIT: I see you said it was pitched correctly. So it is definitely pitched toward the valve side? (the pipe side, not the vent side that is)
I've noticed the vent rite #1 sometimes sucks air in and other times pushes air out. From what I've read this is correct, though I'm clearly no expert
Perhaps raise both ends of the radiator which will raise the pipe under the floor, which may have some water pooling in it.
If the vent is sucking in and blowing air out (aka panting), that is another sign that there is accumulating condensate somewhere in the supply pipe. In Dan H's steam books, one of the solutions to try is to slow down the radiator's venting. Dial that radiators venting level from 8 to some lower value. Slower venting reduces the steam velocity and reduces the rate of condensate water being generated which may allow the water and steam to pass by each in the shared pipe less violently and more quietly.
Not the kind of answer you were looking for, I know. But after you have lifted the radiator with some 1/2" wedged under all 4 legs and you have adjusted the air vent from 8 to 6 and the sound does not go away, try saying "Alexa... White noise"... or something like that.
Retired HVAC Contractor from So. Jersey Shore.
Cleaned & services first oil heating system at age 16
Specialized in Oil Heat and Hydronics where the competition did Gas Warm Air
If you make an expensive repair and the same problem happens, What will you check next?
lovely radiator though