Baseboard Expansion noises

Greg Kousidis

I ran a new series loop thru several rooms in my house and the crinkle-crinkle sounds from the expanding elements are driving me nuts. Any ideas on how to alleviate this?

F.Y.I. The return line runs back thru the baseboard enclosure above the elements.

gman

how about turning down the lower limit,it may help?

Steve Ebels

Have a contractor

Install an outdoor reset control to vary the temp of your water and convert the system to constant circulation. Presto! No more noise.

This will bring your hydronic system into the current century technology and save you some dough on heating costs also.

Jackchips

One simple

check is to see if any of the piping is rubbing against some wood.

Are you pumping away?

Carlton

SE's post

SE, I have the same clicking noise. Is this outdoor reset of which you speak do-able by a regular novice guy, or do I need professional help? For my planning reasons, can you give a range of what a professional would charge (not asking for quotes)? Thanks.

Tom M.

return line

If the return line is not properly supported, it's probably touching the heating element.

hot_rod

How long

are the various baseboards. They need some room to move when they heat up quickly. The holes through the floor need to be large with plactic bushings. Any run, or combination of runs, over 10 feet in length should, in my opinion, have and expansion coupler. Available from the BB manufactures.

If expansion movement is restricted the elements will try to bow, or move, somehow, somewhere in the enclosure. Are the plastic sliders, on the element located in the proper spot?

Reset controls will help a lot. Make sure you watch the boiler return temperatures when you start ramping back temperatures, however. You may need a control or mix valve that keeps the boiler above condensing temperatures.

hot rod

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Carlton

Hot Rod,

Thanks for your input. I would need a professional to check all of that out. Can anyone recommend a hydronics EXPERT in West Central NJ (Hunterdon County area)?

Dana

There are teflon snap on skids, so to speak, that you snap on the finn element wherever it sits on its cradle support in the enclosuer. Make sure they are properly located so the actual element is not touching its support. If the return line is sitting on the finns, cut a litle piece of cardboard and slip between the finns and the pipe every 2 feet or so. You don't want the return piping rubbing directly aganst the finns as they each expand and contract.

JP

Expansion noise

I agree with Hotrod about what you need to do. We had a customer who's baseboard would expand so much that it was waking up the kids at night. We expanded all of the holes around the pipes as large as we could and still not be seen. We then added the expansion joints to each baseboard, installed an outdoor reset controll and also a spirovent to help with air elimination. Customer called back the next week and said it was so nice to get some sleep.

Carlton

JParker or Hot Rod--Wanna take on the job for me? I am in West Central NJ? Let me know if it is feasible and I will e-mail you to get the dialogue going.

hot_rod

Bit far for me

I'm in SW Missouri. Should be someone here closer to you. anybody? anybody?

hot rod

Bob_9

Baseboard noises

I recently put in a Viessmann Vitogas 100 with the outdoor reset control, set up for constant circulation on a fin-tube baseboard system, for a client of mine. Their biggest gripes about the old system was the noise and temperature fluctuations.
I just met with them tonight to follow up on things and they can't believe how smooth the new system is. Quiet and even tempered.
In my experience the most important things in eliminating noise from a fin-tube system are varing the water temp and keeping the water moving.