Noisy heating pipe

[m0t]

I moved into my flat in march and discovered that a heating pipe that runs through the bedroom would tick and bang whenever the heating came on or went off.

The heating was turned off a few weeks after we moved in so I forgot about the problem, but now the issue is back with a vengeance. I did some research and was told that the most likely culprit was the pipe touching something and banging as it expanded and contracted.

Last night I lifted the box covering the pipe in the bedroom and saw that where it went through the wall into the bathroom it was running at an angle and looked like it would probably be touching as it came out the other side.

I wedged a screwdriver against the pipe and the wall just as the pipe entered the hole into the next room and this moved the pipe away from the wall enough to stop the noise (and I had a good nights sleep).

The problem is that I cant get to the other side of the wall to widen the hole as the previous owners have put a bath in front of the pipe and then tiled it in (we are planning to move in July so I don't want to rip this out). I tried to force a foam pad, and then a cotton pad, down the pipe but there isn't enough clearance.

The only solution I could think of would be to spray expanding foam down the hole and then letting it set, is there anything wrong with this approach?

 

[stem]

Expanding foam might work, but there is a danger that you may seal the pipe in the wrong position ie pushed against whatever makes the noise and then have difficulty reversing the process i.e. getting the foam out

I had a similar situation to yours and inserting the tapered end of half a wooden clothes peg in lieu of the screwdriver and put a tack against it to stop it moving. Worked a treat for me. There is a chance though that the peg could become a new source of noise, but as the screwdriver worked in your case you may have a chance. In any case, if it doesn't work, it's easily reversed.