Ticking pipes

[ikearns]

Hi all

I am having a right game with ticking pipes on our central heating, after lifting a few boards every pipe I have come across which has had the joists notched out has had no lagging at all - is the sign of a cowboy fitter or am I being a bit harsh??

I lagged all the pipes going across the upper landing area on Sunday and that has reduced the ticking when the central heating is charging or circulating. I am still getting ticking from one radiator and also when the system is cooling down. Is it just a case of tracing all the pipes and lagging everything that I find?

 

[RigidRaider]

Lagging won't stop your pipes expanding when they get hot. It will stop them fretting against woodwork and ticking though. None of the CH pipes in my house are lagged except where they run under the kitchen floor; I guess the idea is that any heat loss goes into the structure of the house, which is good because there's no point in just heating the air inside; you've got to warm up the entire structure, internal walls, furniture. ceilings etc. for a comfortable heat and efficient use of the heating system.

 

[ikearns]

Well as the reason to lag the pipes where they come into contact with floor joists is to stop them making a noise then it seems successful. I have no aim to prevent heat loss from the run of the pipes. As mentioned in the OP, this was to minimise ticking of the pipes and not prevent heat loss.

 

[EAST61]

Lagging won't stop your pipes expanding when they get hot. It will stop them fretting against woodwork and ticking though. None of the CH pipes in my house are lagged except where they run under the kitchen floor; I guess the idea is that any heat loss goes into the structure of the house, which is good because there's no point in just heating the air inside; you've got to warm up the entire structure, internal walls, furniture. ceilings etc. for a comfortable heat and efficient use of the heating system.

The point of an efficient heating system is to direct the heat to where you want it, I.e the radiators which you can control.

Your reasoning for not wanting lagging is a bit silly.

 

[terryplumb]

With regard to your "ticking" rad ,if its a standard panel rad ,the metal brackets that hold the rad to the wall should have inserts on the 4 lugs ( usually nylon or plastic ) where the rad sits on the brackets. This is to prevent metal to metal contact so when the rad expands or contracts when heated / or cooling you don't get the ticking sound. Yours may be missing. You are on the right tracks regarding pipes in direct contact with wooden joists / floorboards etc ,they need clearance or a barrier between .pipe laggings fine but in areas where space won't allow it ,wrapping something like hessian / cloth will do

 

[ikearns]

You are on the right tracks regarding pipes in direct contact with wooden joists / floorboards etc ,they need clearance or a barrier between .pipe laggings fine but in areas where space won't allow it ,wrapping something like hessian / cloth will do

I am using "Mudfords flat hair felt pipe lagging" which came in a roll from Plumb Centre and was only £2.50 for 7m. Meant I could cut a length off and sling it under the pipe where I could get good access and then just slide it up to where it was resting on the joist and pad it out from the timber. Any surplus was folded on top of the pipe so was between the pipe and the floorboard.

 

[ajsdoc]

This drove me mad in our house. The weekend spent lifting the boards and using felt at the joists was some of the best value time I've spent! They used to wake me up ticking every morning, now quiet bliss. Ours has not long been re-piped too, no felt used - seemed a shame they didn't as such a simple thing makes a lot of difference!

 

[ikearns]

no felt used - seemed a shame they didn't as such a simple thing makes a lot of difference!

Looks like my fitter from years back is not on his own then. For the sake of a few quid the notches on joists could have been better prepared and as this appears to be a common issue then it could have been easily avoided.