Noisy Radiator

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by goodtyneguy, Feb 9, 2014.

  1. goodtyneguy

    goodtyneguy Member

    I've got a two bed maisonette, the radiator in the smaller bedroom of the two has a noise when the heating is in operation. It sounds as if there are pebbles swirling around in it. All the radiators in the system are heating up correctly i.e. uniformly with no trapped air including the culprit. It's about twelve years since the current boiler was installed and a new hot water tank was put in at the time. Everything is working properly but as I use the room as a home office it's so loud it's becoming a distraction.

    Any help appreciated, thanks.
     
  2. tom.plum

    tom.plum Screwfix Select

    sometimes the valve/s can make a rattling sound, have a fiddle with them open them full up or turn them down see if it makes a differance,
     
    goodtyneguy and FatHands like this.
  3. Tricky things are noise to describe. One mans hum is another mans rattle!

    Could be that the TRV is vibrating or chattering, the noise sounds like its vibrating the whole house.

    Take the TRV head off and (when the pumps running) push the valve stem down and see if it then vibrates at a certain point.

    If you can re-create the noise in this way you will need to change the TRV body.

    Hope this helps

    Russ

    www.iiplumbing-services-derby.co.uk
     
    goodtyneguy likes this.
  4. goodtyneguy

    goodtyneguy Member

    Thanks for the replies guys.

    The valves are just of the ordinary manual type, no stats on them. I have a servowarm valve on the pipework near to the hot water tank in the airing cupboard. It's the manual type, one of those antiquated ones where you can turn the a lever from one side to the other depending on whether you want the boiler to heat the hot water or the radiators or a combination of both. I've found that the noise (which does n't rattle the house down LOL) occurs when I want most of the heat to go to the radiators but a small amount to keep any hot water in the tank hot i.e. when I have the lever not completely over to the radiator side of the movement if that makes sense. When the lever is in the middle or when its completely over to hot water there is no noise.

    I do not have any room stats but just control the heat from the knob on the boiler which normally stays on the minimum setting unless it's really cold outside. Simple I know, but less to go wrong.

    The noise definitely sounds like it's coming from the inside the radiator but I'll have a play around with the valve if that's the way to go.

    Cheers
     
  5. Does your pump have a speed control? If you can, try turning it down one 'click' and see if that helps. But also check to see that your whole system still runs as well as it currently does.
     
    goodtyneguy likes this.
  6. goodtyneguy

    goodtyneguy Member

    That did the trick Devils Advocate thank you very much.

    It's a Grundfos Selectric type UPS 15-50 130 with a table showing m(A) 17, 28, 42 I take it these are milli amps and also P(w) 40, 65, 95 respectively, don't know what this one is. It was on setting number two of three so I turned it down to number one. It appears the system is taking a little longer to heat up, the same with the water but not too much so.

    Thanks for your input folks
     
  7. tom.plum

    tom.plum Screwfix Select

    goodtyneguy you have the wrong idea about the servowarm valve, there are two holes inside the valve, a big un and a little un, So if you want water only, the big un lines up with the HW port and the little un is tucked away doing nowt, if you want HW and CH the big lines up with the CH port, the small one lines up with the HW port,
    if you put it half way its doing two jobs badly there'e 1/2 a big hole lining up to heating and 1/2 a little hole to HW, so the flow is restricted to both circuits,

    tomplum ex servowarm eng 1987-1993, warrington branch,
     
  8. goodtyneguy

    goodtyneguy Member

    Tom, I was only following the guidance given to me by the heating engineer that installed my boiler and immersion tank about 12 years ago. I have to say that the colours on the circular front of the valve give you the impression that the lever was meant to be able to control how much hot water goes to the radiators or the pipework in the immersion tank to heat the hot water or a combination of the two. So are you saying:

    1) there is no option to just have the central heating on without heating the water unless I continue to operate the system in the flawed manner in which I have done for the last 14 years? :)
    2) the valve is designed for the lever to be either fully over to CH or fully over to hot water and in the latter case only hot water is heated and in the former case both the CH and water is heated?
    3) There is no option to have the CH on without heating the water?
     
  9. tom.plum

    tom.plum Screwfix Select

    yes, thats how its designed, it won't do heating only, the engineer who gave you guidence doest know what he's talking about,;)
     
  10. goodtyneguy

    goodtyneguy Member

    The HE was a young whipper snapper but I would n't use him again. I've heard he's now quoting ridiculous prices, I don't mind paying a bit above the going rate for a good tradesman, I appreciate the skills and experience you boys have.

    Anyway, many thanks for your help also.
     
  11. tom.plum

    tom.plum Screwfix Select

    you're very welcome goodtyneguy :)
     
    goodtyneguy likes this.

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