Noise in heating and hot water?

[terryhawkins]

We have a potterton combi boiler and for a while now there is a water trickling noise when the heating comes on and also when the hot water comes on.

Are these likely to be related? I only ask because the noise when the hot water comes on has only just started to happen (or at least I've only just noticed).

Thanks in advance.

 

[45yearsagasman]

What is the pressure in your system? Check the gauge when system is cool.

 

[terryhawkins]

What is the pressure in your system? Check the gauge when system is cool.

How would I check that? Where is the pressure gauge?

Here's a photo of the boiler if that helps...
http://www.terryh.co.uk/files/boiler.jpg

 

[twgas]

Best advice is to call a heating engineer, that is not a combi and to be honest if you don't know the dif between a combi and heat only you probably won't have the skills to repair it.

 

[terryhawkins]

Best advice is to call a heating engineer, that is not a combi and to be honest if you don't know the dif between a combi and heat only you probably won't have the skills to repair it.

Sorry, I thought a combi one was one that heated hot water and was for the heating (looked now and see I was wrong with the terminology).

I wasn't going to try and repair it myself, I just wanted to know if the two problems above are connected and whether I'd be paying for one repair or two.

Thanks!

 

[twgas]

Your problems are probably related, shortage of water is quite possible.
If you have an open system it may be the ball valve stuck, if sealed the pressure is probably low and you would have an expansion vessel which might need checking.

 

[terryhawkins]

Well I called out our local Heating Engineer to have a look and he said to stop the noise we will need an Air Separator fitted.

He said that he's seen a lot of the same problem around our housing estate due to the way it was designed when installed.

Does that sound about right? Said it's nothing to worry about, just annoying that you can hear the noise through the pipes.

 

[twgas]

Assuming you have an open syste (two tanks in loft) I would say that there is some magnetite building up in the area arund where the engineer intends to fit the air seperator, cleaning it might be just as effective.