Noisy Radiator

[swa110w]

I've got a noisy radiator and I'm not sure what to do about it.

Whenever the central heating comes on in the morning, there's the usual clicking and tapping as the pipes expand. I'm fine with that.

However, there's also a regular loud "clank" (perhaps more of a "dummm") from one of the radiators. It happens every 15 seconds or so for about 15 minutes while the heating gets going. The reason I know this is because it wakes us up every morning.

It disappears if I switch the radiator off but I'd rather not do that. I've tried bleeding all of the radiators in the house but that didn't do a great deal.

Do you know of anything else I could try?

 

[ianmcd]

if the radiator has a TRV (thermostatic radiator valve) then remove the sensor head and see if it still does it

 

[swa110w]

if the radiator has a TRV (thermostatic radiator valve) then remove the sensor head and see if it still does it

Thanks, Ian. It has indeed got a (British Gas-branded) TRV.

Forgive my complete ignorance but is removing the sensor head easy to do?

 

[ianmcd]

yes very easy to do but BG dont make their own valves , if you can post a pic I could easily tell you how to remove it, if not does it have a metal ring where the plastic head meets the metal valve ?

 

[swa110w]

There's someone sleeping in there at the moment, so I'll grab a picture in the morning and get back to you.

Cheers!

 

[ianmcd]

what the plastic sensor does is restrict the flow of water to the radiator depending on the temperature of the room , but if these are fitted on the wrong side of the radiator they can cause problems like you describe

 

[swa110w]

Better late than never, here are the photos of the noisy radiator.

Untitled

• swa110w
• 2 Mar 2014
• 1

Untitled

• swa110w
• 2 Mar 2014
• 1

 

[xr4x4]

Turn it to max and unscrew the silver collar under the white plastic head and remove, you may need to use some grips if it's tight.

 

[jeff the gasman]

As it's a long radiator it could be expanding on the brackets and causing said noise. TRV as before also.

 

[swa110w]

I'm still having trouble with my radiators. I've noticed it is two of them that are making a noise now (both in the upstairs bedrooms).

If I open the TRV to maximum, it makes the periodic clanging noise that I described in my previous post. However, even If I close the TRV fully, it still makes a noise.

I haven't tried removing the sensor head yet, as I don't really know what I'm doing and I don't want to cause a leak.

I'm planning to get a plumber in but it feels like one of those jobs where you could be trying all sorts to try and track down the problem. He initially suggested a faulty valve (although, surely these TRV's aren't that old?)

So I've had a go at filming one of the noisy radiators. Problem is, it didn't really pick up the sound very well. You will think I'm making a fuss over nothing but the clanging is MUCH louder than it sounds on this video, especially first thing in the morning when it seems to echo around the house. You can hear the loudest clangs at 00:14, 00:35, 01:04, and 01:11 (with other noises in between).

Can anyone get more of an idea of what the problem is from this?

Brace yourself for the dullest video ever!

 

[swa110w]

Just returning to this thread once again.

We're still having trouble with our noisy radiator (clunks loudly periodically while it heats up). We've had the TRV replaced, which doesn't seem to have made any difference. I've tried wedging a bit of rag behind the brackets to reduce any movement (as best I can without taking the radiator off the wall). I'm running out of things to try.

Wondering whether it might be worth investing in a new radiator? Or is that a bit drastic?

The room it is in is soon going to be a nursery, so I'm running out of time to get it sorted!