heating system making loud noises - help please!

[charliebean]

Hello all,

My heating system is making noises, started a couple of weeks ago. The system is only 3 and a half years old, as it was a new build house.

When it started it was like water flowing and gurgling behind the wall below the water tank in the airing cupboard upstairs.

It then got worse, louder, and the water pump in the airing cupboard seems to be louder, perhaps working harder?
Downstairs the boiler is making occational popping, gurgling sounds too.

Any idea what this is? As there is gurgling i assume there may be air in the system somehow?

On the water tank is a sticker which explains how to re-establish the air pocket, or something like that. Suggests doing this if water is coming out the overflow, which i dont think it is.

Any ideas?

Thanks for any help
Cheers
Joel

 

[kevplumb]

open vented or pressurised system ??

open vented check the header tank in the loft has water in it and the ballvalve works

pressurised system check the pressure gauge it should be on 1 bar cold

the air pocket you are refering to is for the hot water

methinks megaflo or similar

 

[charliebean]

the air pocket you are refering to is for the hot water

methinks megaflo or similar

Very impressed, it is indeed a Megaflo!

I think its a sealed system, it has a filling loop and no tank in the loft.

Forgot to say only the hot water is on, being summer, all the radiators etc off.

The pressure valve has two needles, one red which is on just over 1, and the black on which is on zero. BUT the system is off at the moment as i turned the boiler off cause of the trouble. Shall i turn it back on and see if the pressure changes?

Here is a photo if that helps?

Cheers
Joel

 

[kevplumb]

open the fill loop till both needles are in the same spot

with system cold

 

[charliebean]

ok, I did that and now its making alot of new noises.

First there was what sounded like some pressure being released somewhere, and now there is water moving around the pipes on the left near the pump, which seems to be doing something, and downstairs i can hear water running around the boiler. This is ten minutes on from what I did, and ive noticed the black needle is slowly dropping, its slightly below 1 now.

What do you think?
Cheers
Joel

 

[kevplumb]

the hissing will be the auto air vent doing its job

View media item 11231
check the rads dont need bleeding and top up the pressure

if the air is getting out thats whats causing the pressure drop (we hope)

View media item 17592
could be worth bleeding the pump as well

 

[charliebean]

ok i did that, the pump just let water out, nothing else. I topped up the pressure which had stopped dropping.

Sounds better, not 100% yet, but it seemed to calm down quickly once i topped it up. Boiler is now on, and i will report what happens next.

Cheers
Joel