You depend on your boiler to keep you and your family warm, not make alarming sounds. There are several reasons a boiler can act up and make sounds it shouldn’t. Here, we’ll go over the steps you should take if your boiler is making noise — and why getting in touch with a professional as soon as possible is critical.

There are numerous reasons your boiler could be making noise, including:

  • Limescale buildup
  • Air blockage
  • Insufficient water flow
  • Faulty thermostat
  • Low water pressure

Where Is the Noise Coming From?

It’s crucial to determine exactly where the noise is coming from. Is your boiler creating a loud banging noise, or are sounds emanating from a radiator or central heating pipe? If you hear creaking, it could be the sound of pipes changing temperature, which is perfectly normal. Once you identify where the noise is coming from, you can diagnose what the issue at hand actually is.

What Noise Is Your Boiler Making?

The next step is to determine what kind of noise your boiler is making. The quicker you react to any given unusual noise coming from your boiler, the less complicated — and more cost-effective — the steps will be to remediate the issue. Let’s go over the most common trouble noises and what they could mean:

Vibrating

A vibrating boiler could be the result of loose brackets that need to be tightened. While you can tighten the brackets yourself, you’ll need to get in touch with a professional who specializes in boiler systems if this doesn’t cease the vibrating noises to accurately diagnose the problem.

Loud Banging

If your boiler makes a loud banging, it could be the result of a faulty thermostat or a debris buildup on the unit’s heat exchanger. If it’s a buildup, you’ll have to reach out to a qualified technician to execute a power flush, which removes the sludge in your system, preventing blockages and thwarting heating inefficiency.

Gurgling

Trapped air in your system system, low water pressure, or a frozen condensate pipe can lead to gurgling radiators. While a small amount of gurgling noises within a boiler isn’t necessarily a cause for concern, it’s recommended to investigate further if it becomes loud or constant. Bleeding your radiators, checking the pressure gauge, and looking out for frozen pipes may be in order.

Whistling

If your boiler sounds a bit like a kettle — or is “kettling” — the most common cause of it is an accumulation of limescale on the boiler’s heat exchanger. Due to their high calcium content, limescale deposits tend to build up, rendering them insoluble, which restricts the flow of water. This water gets trapped in the heat exchanger, which causes it to overheat, generate steam, and expand — and kettling noises are a consequence of this sequence of events.

Banging or Tapping Noise

If you’re running hot water and can hear your pipes banging or making a tapping noise, this could be due to overheating. You’ll want to turn off the boiler to cool the system down. Once cool, turn it back on and turn up the thermostat; it should click. If not, it’s time to get in touch with a pro. Banging pipes may simply be due to pipework not being secured properly under your floor; if you’ve heard rattling noises for a while, this may be the case.

Contact Us for Boiler Repair and Troubleshooting

Most modern boilers come with a digital screen that displays error codes when something is wrong. Whether you know precisely what the issue is or are befuddled as to why your boiler is making noise, it pays to turn to specialists who can carry out the necessary repairs or, if necessary, recommend replacement. No matter the issue, rely on our team! For more information about repair services or signs it’s time to update your heating system, reach out to Boiler Heating & Cooling today.