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Boiler makes loud whistle. Sounds like air escaping a balloon.

Jim100Flower
Jim100Flower Member Posts: 102
I have new a Laars Minitherm JV225NDISU2 natural gas forced hot water boiler with six zones of baseboard. About ten times a day it makes a loud whistling sound for about 5-10 seconds. It sounds like air escaping from a balloon. You can hear the sound throughout the house and from two floors above. I think it would wake someone sleeping in the basement.
The sound is hard to localize but I think it is coming from the boiler pump. The boiler installer replaced the pump with one twice as big and also lowered the boiler temperature. Both actions reduced the frequency and duration of the whistles but have not eliminated it. Do you have any ideas as to causes and remedies?





Comments

  • clammy
    clammy Member Posts: 3,104
    Looking at your boiler pump it looks l8ke it’s on low speed have you tried it on med or hi and what’s the boiler water pressure should be at least 15 psi ,the boiler looks to be piped primary secondary .is the boiler pump pumping into the boiler . Those style heater exchanger require good flow ,the installation manual may show that pumps mounting to pump into the boiler not out of due to the pressure drop across that heat exchanger ,it been a long time since I ve installed one .usually on those type of heat exchanger you will experience noise issue due to low flow ,you should sit down there and try to isolate it to the boiler or system .Also don’t count out short cycling from being over sized .hope this helped peace nd good luck clammy
    R.A. Calmbacher L.L.C. HVAC
    NJ Master HVAC Lic.
    Mahwah, NJ
    Specializing in steam and hydronic heating
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 1,883
    @Jim100Flower Check the vent above the air scoop. Those things can sometimes make the noise you are describing. There is a little cap on top. That cap should be loose to let air escape from the system. Tighten the cap down by hand. If the noise goes away? You got it.
    And also do what @clammy said.
  • Jim100Flower
    Jim100Flower Member Posts: 102
    Thanks
    @clammy Boiler pump is on High and pumping into the boiler. Pressure just above 15 PSI. It is not short cycling.
    @Intplm. Noise is not from the cap.
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 1,883
    Is there a time that you can anticipate the sound and post a video of it?
  • icy78
    icy78 Member Posts: 404
    Got any zone valves that could be the culprit?
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,024
    I'm not seeing a P/S piping? If not be sure any one of those circulators can provide the flow the boiler requires.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    I think I see P/S piping with the pump backwards, pumping into the top of the boiler???
  • Jim100Flower
    Jim100Flower Member Posts: 102
    @Intplm. Here is a video of a whistle. This is not the typical loud whistle that I can hear from the 2nd floor, but it is a whistle. In the video I turn the pump speed down and then up. It is coincidence that the whistle ends at this point. In an earlier experiment it got louder when I turned the pump down.

    https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOGZjwFzksnu7lWNTZBFVuS0Hpy1wMPbQMDUGOS">https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOGZjwFzksnu7lWNTZBFVuS0Hpy1wMPbQMDUGOS

  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 1,883
    @Jim100Flower Sorry bud. The vid. didn't seem to load. A screen pops up stating the page could not be found. The pictures that you have posted earlier are all that show up.
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,024
    when copper tube type boilers get scale build up they tend to make various noises. Adding a cleaner or conditioner may help. Chemical Specialists has a product that you inject and leave in to quiet scaled boilers

    Does it make the noise with circulatory finning, burner off?

    Thst could narrow down a pump or flow only problem
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    Zman
  • Jim100Flower
    Jim100Flower Member Posts: 102
    @Intplm. Oops - I tried to link to google pics. Here is a link to YouTube
    https://youtu.be/M4Tf30JYbio
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,042
    I see now that both in and outlet are on the top of the boiler.
    Are they clearly marked as such?
    Does the piping instructions have the pump pushing into the boiler return or pulling out of the outlet?
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 1,883
    Vent damper motor. When you press your hand against it, does it change the sound. Try that and do the some for each circulator. Hold and push each one trying to isolate which one is making the noise.
    I'm thinking this is a circulator cartridge that is making the noise but its still hard to tell.
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 1,883
    A screwdriver to each one and to your ear will also help.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,173
    Sounds a lot more like a bearing to me than a whistle... question is which one -- but I'd start with whichever motor and pump it was that changed speed.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,024
    Yes, it does sound like a bearing issue now. If the pumps are multiple speed, try switching the speed selector switch to see if the sound changes, that may pinpoint which is the squealer.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 1,883
    @Jim100Flower If you do not have a long enough screwdriver to lean in with as suggested above, go to the nearest big box pharmacy and get a inexpensive stethoscope.(they have them there cheap). Use the stethoscope on each of the suspected noise makers. (Hopefully the noise is only coming from one circ. etc.)
  • Jim100Flower
    Jim100Flower Member Posts: 102
    edited April 2019
    UPDATE: I haven't heard a whistle in a week. Yeah! The only change is that we added a chemical cleaner, Silver King. It contains Silicone and is supposed to coat the insides of the pipes and lubricate. I think it also makes the water thicker. Whatever it does, my whistle is gone.
    I also checked with the boiler manufacturer and the new boiler pump is the right size.
    As a funny side note, @Intplm. I misread your comment and thought it was not helpful. I read it as "if you can't stand the whistle, stick a screwdriver in your ear!" Ouch!
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 1,883
    Sorry about that. Would never write such a thing. Seems I wasn't very clear. And I only use a screwdriver now since my stethoscope went missing........👂
    Glad to "hear" the noise is gone.
  • HotanCool
    HotanCool Member Posts: 55
    Glad it's solved. I was going to say it sounded like air in the pipes and or a circulator. Still should of put on a better Air Elimination device with the new boiler,than that scoop.
  • pell
    pell Member Posts: 22
    Having this issue with a customer, thought it might be a bearing in the draft fan, can wait to see if the Silver King corrects the problem. He has a Laars and calls it "The Tea Kettle".
  • pell
    pell Member Posts: 22
    Do you remember what Silver King Cleaner you used?
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,024
    pell said:
    Having this issue with a customer, thought it might be a bearing in the draft fan, can wait to see if the Silver King corrects the problem. He has a Laars and calls it "The Tea Kettle".
    If it is a Laars copper tube boiler, the kettling sound often indicates scale inside the tubes. It needs to be cleaned with a delimer

    A product like this
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream