Radiator pipes banging/rattling

36red

Member
Now its winter and the rads are on most of the time cos its freezing I am being plagued by the pipes upstairs rattling/banging.
Could it a pipe needs fixing down or water pressure?
Any help/advice would e much appreciated.
I can't afford a fancy dan gas engineer at £50 per hour who will tell me I need a new combi boiler, electric junction box, re-tune the fridge and install a wide screen tv and he has a mate who can do those for me lol
 
If it's just expanding/contracting you can't do anything about it.
If they are banging you can add a few clips
Cheers so it's a common thing then? Guess its take up the floorboards to have a peek and get a couple of clips just in case.
 
If they are banging they may be too close or touching each other.
Some foam or fibreglass between them may help but you'll only be able to get to small sections if them. Unlikely to get at full runs.
Clipping them too tightly can make things worse
 
sounds like kettling
after trying what you can with @pabloescaban suggestions,

have you completely bled the system.?
even the tiniest bit of air will cause this
other free fixes to try are lower the temp stat on your boiler, stops the water getting too hot too quickly thus reducing the air bubbles being created.
you can also buy additive that is supposed to reduce the amount of kettling that occurs, as above, supposed to limit bubbles forming.
it has varying results
 
If they are banging they may be too close or touching each other.
Some foam or fibreglass between them may help but you'll only be able to get to small sections if them. Unlikely to get at full runs.
Clipping them too tightly can make things worse
Yes I got some foam, think its where a small radiator on the landing joins to the bathroom piping then goes to the bedroom.
I don't use the small rad and turned it off, same as in the bedroom. Gas engineer said leave em on number 1 valve setting which I have now done.

sounds like kettling
after trying what you can with @pabloescaban suggestions,

have you completely bled the system.?
even the tiniest bit of air will cause this
other free fixes to try are lower the temp stat on your boiler, stops the water getting too hot too quickly thus reducing the air bubbles being created.
you can also buy additive that is supposed to reduce the amount of kettling that occurs, as above, supposed to limit bubbles forming.
it has varying results
Is bleeding the system going round each radiator and letting some water out, starting downstairs first. Seem to recall the gas engineer doing this when first setting the system up 5 years ago.
I got a Worcester Bosch Combi which has up and down arrows to change the temp of the heating and water. The heating settings have blocks in view on the controls the more blocks the higher the temperature goes up, I don't know what the correct/best settings should be though :-(
 
Also make sure the water level is correct.
Once my old system lost a bit of water.
And it kicked off big time.
Topped it up and it stopped.
Good luck
 
Also make sure the water level is correct.
Once my old system lost a bit of water.
And it kicked off big time.
Topped it up and it stopped.
Good luck
Yes checked the water in it and its okay. Had a service a month ago and engineer said all was fine.
 
Yes I got some foam, think its where a small radiator on the landing joins to the bathroom piping then goes to the bedroom.
I don't use the small rad and turned it off, same as in the bedroom. Gas engineer said leave em on number 1 valve setting which I have now done.
dont turn any rad off completely
to bleed you have to go round every rad several times as the air will move around the system

PS he is NOT a gas engineer, Engineers have letters after their name
 
Bleeding is where you let the air out of the top of the radiator , close it when water starts to come out. You can check if this needs doing as the top of the rad will be cooler at the top . You will need to top up the boiler after doing this. Then do as pablo says , foam or bigger gaps in between pipes , foam between joists/floorboards and pipes or cut a bit of wood away. If rattling they need securing somehow. Mine make a tapping sound when it heats up and cools down , they are on the to do list next time the carpet comes up.
 
I've checked the rads and when the heating is on they are warm at top and bottom so no need to bleed them.
Think I know which area is the problem so will investigate it tomorrow. In my kitchen cupboard there are brown lines on the roof suggesting something above is leaking?
Also in the cupboard above is a small rad fitted to the wall which can be lifted up at one end so I'm guessing that has something to do with the problem.
 
I've checked the rads and when the heating is on they are warm at top and bottom so no need to bleed them.
Think I know which area is the problem so will investigate it tomorrow. In my kitchen cupboard there are brown lines on the roof suggesting something above is leaking?
Also in the cupboard above is a small rad fitted to the wall which can be lifted up at one end so I'm guessing that has something to do with the problem.
If the brown patch is dry it's probably a stain from a previous leak.
Wipe the valves on the upper radiator with a sheet of toilet paper and hold it up to the light to see if the valve is weeping.

It's unlikely to be leaking now.

To get rid of the damp stain you should paint it with oil based paint like gloss or undercoat a few times before putting normal paint over it.

No emulsion paint will stop the stain coming back through
 
If the brown patch is dry it's probably a stain from a previous leak.
Wipe the valves on the upper radiator with a sheet of toilet paper and hold it up to the light to see if the valve is weeping.

It's unlikely to be leaking now.

To get rid of the damp stain you should paint it with oil based paint like gloss or undercoat a few times before putting normal paint over it.

No emulsion paint will stop the stain coming back through
Yeah cheers. I've lowered the number of blocks in view on the boiler control screen down to 4 to see if that has any affect.

Maybe the warmer weather is helping but I've lowered the blocks on view and the noise is much better, think its worst when firing up.
 
No emulsion paint will stop the stain coming back through

If your preferred paint option is emulsion - water down some PVA glue (wood glue) probably half and half will do it, paint over your stain, allow to dry thoroughly, then paint with emulsion.
Bob's your uncle.
 
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