Clicking noise

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1 Feb 2007
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Argyll
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United Kingdom
Hi all, I'd appreciate any suggestions on a problem we are having in our house that has been rewired with new fusebox, RCBs, mains wiring, sockets, and all other fittings by a qualified electrician. Recently we have been hearing in our hall a loud 'click' or often a double click that sounds like a light switch being put on/off. The clicking is random, rarely in the same place and is worse at night (probably cos the house is quiet.) It's a really annoying Loud click and we haven't been able to pin it down even though we have spent ages in the hall waiting on it. On the odd occasion we have been able to be in the hall when it has happened it hasn't seemed to repeat in the same place. We have had the light fittings and switch checked by an electrician as the first clicks seemed to be from a lighting circuit, but all is ok. Is there anyone with an idea of whether these sounds can be caused by wall sockets or other wiring problem, or is there a suggestion for tracking this down? The sounds don't coincide with fridges or freezer going on, nor is the phone the cause and we have eliminated circuits by putting the fuse off. In the hall there are two double sockets on the ring main, and two 3 switch light switches one of which is 2 way. Please help it's driving us mad, thanks
 
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Might be radiators or their pipes clicking as they expand or contract as they heat up or cool down.

Domestic electrical things don't generally click.
 
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Floorboards disturbed during the re-wiring settling back in place.

Heating pipe work.

Light fittings expanding with the heat of the bulb and then contracting when the lamp is turn off

Draught excluder on a door that moves with the wind.
 
is the property attached, could it be the neighbours light switch, if you didnt hear it before maybe they have new noisyer switches.

but my guess would be heating pipes that were disturbed during the rewire.
 
[in David Attenborough's breathy whisper]

"And here we have the lesser-spotted central heating pipe - quiet enough when there's just one. However, more often than not they go around in pairs, these chaps, so are quite rowdy, but that's nothing compared to the noise they make if they are rudely disturbed by a tradesman..."

;)
 
Hi guys thanks for your comments:
Davey, the meter is out of the hall and the clicking is definitely within, thanks
Crafty: the central heating doesn't come on during the night, and John D: there is one radiator but all the pipes are plastic and under the floor, whereas the sound is recent and does not appear to be the radiator contracting/expanding, smithson: the bungalow's detached, thanks.

Ricicle, you asked if i was sure it was from the electrics and the answer is no, but the clicking is exactly the same as putting a switched socket or light switch on/off, which is why it's so puzzling. bernard asked if it could be the light fitting itself and that was what we originally considered as we had a faulty (new buy) hall light, but in replacing that I had the electrician rewire the new fitting to the lighting circuit.
As I'm no electrics expert, I was wondering if switches can be faulty and make this sort of noise, though I presume that if it was caused by the electricity shorting, the RCB would trip? But does the insulator plastic in the switch or socket evr make this noise?The main reason I think it is electrical is that the switches and sockets are numerous in the hall and the only other object is the radiator and it definitely doen't sound like one contracting, especially as the sound is at different areas of the hall. Last night we could have done with Derek Acorah as the clicking happened at least half a dozen times and a couple of times during the day, but never at the moment when one of us was in the hall, and the switches and lights had not been used. Again all suggestions and questions gratefully awaited, thanks guys
 
Its curious that you said that the source of the noise appears to move. Bird or animal action in the roof void, possibly?

But, if it sounds like a switch, it probably is. You have heard switches operating all your life and if you think thats what you're hearing then I'll go along with you.

You haven't mentioned that the lights in the hall react to the noise, so it must come from a socket.

Most switch assemblies (including sockets) incorporate a small pivot thingy under spring pressure behind the finger plate and it is the pivot that makes and breaks the electrical contacts and indeed it is the pivot reaching the ends of its travel that causes the familiar clicking sound. In fact if you don't hear a click when you operate a switch, the pivot is not working even though the finger plate moves (and nothing will happen). So, its my opinion that a socket is switching live or switching off because the internal spring and pivot are not working properly and the pivot is failing to remain in the selected position.

I suggest that you plug in a table lamp, leave it switched off and see if switches on and vice versa, and do this for all the sockets in the hall. If the click moves, and it is as witch I wonder if you have a bad batch of sockets fitted during the re-wire you mentioned.

I stand to be corrected, but thats my best guess.
 
Hi kevnurse, thanks for the reply....your explanation of how a switch works was excellent, even I could follow it easily. As you say the clicking sounds like a switch that we all have heard for years and is very distinctive, but your way of investigating which switch is making the noise has brought me fresh hope that this can be solved. I'll do as you have suggested and hopefully get to the bottom of it.
I know the problem isn't solved yet, but I think you have cracked it as it sounds the most logical explanation....thanks again
 

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