How to Fix a Noisy Radiator: 4 causes and solutions

Is your radiator making noise and that worries you?

Rest assured, it might just be a minor issue that you can fix very easily. Find out what causes a noisy radiator and how to fix it.

How to fix a noisy radiator?

A noisy radiator can quickly become annoying, especially if it wakes you up at night.

But above all, this can worry you since an abnormal noise is never insignificant. If your radiator is noisy, something is wrong. Several causes can explain a radiator that makes noise.

It is important to know how to identify the cause to be able to treat it.

Cause #1: Air bubbles in the heating circuit

Listen carefully to the noise made by your radiator.

If it’s a metallic noise, it’s probably coming from the pipes.

This then means that air bubbles are present inside the heating circuit.

This cause is easy to treat. All you need to do is bleed your radiator!

The purge allows the excess air present in the pipes to be evacuated. This manipulation requires taking some precautions but it is within everyone’s reach.

Ideally, you should bleed your radiators once a year to ensure their proper functioning but also to prevent the appearance of air bubbles (and therefore noise).

Before you start bleeding your radiators, it is important to know the precautions to take. Take a bleed key and turn off your radiators before handling.

Next, note that it is advisable to start the purge with the radiators located closest to the boiler, then continue with the second closest radiator, and so on, until the furthest radiator.

Finally, be aware that liquid may leak from the radiator during the operation.

Remember to place a basin to recover it. To bleed a radiator, it will be necessary to proceed in several steps:

  • Turn off the boiler.
  • Locate the drain on your radiator: it is located at the top, at the opposite end of the temperature adjustment knob. Once you have located the drain, place your basin below to collect the liquid flows.
  • Using the bleed key, unscrew the bleed from your radiator. Be careful, do not unscrew it all the way, you might have trouble screwing it back on.
  • Wait until all the air contained in the circuit is evacuated.
  • Open the filling valve of your boiler: the pressure should reach a figure between 1 and 1.5 bar. Don’t forget to close it afterward.
  • The purge is complete, you can then relight your boiler.

Cause #2: A fixing problem

A fixing problem can also be the cause of a noisy radiator.

If you hear the sound of metal parts banging together, it means your radiator lines are loose.

Under the effect of the vibrations produced when the appliance heats up, they will bump into each other and produce these noises.

Also, if you hear popping noises, it probably means the inlet valve and the return valve are reversed.

If your noise problems come from bad fixings at the level of the ducts, this will be able to be solved very quickly.

Check all hose clamps, if they are tight this should eliminate the noise. If this is not enough, use these clamps’ rubber coatings that will act as a noise damper. On the other hand,

Cause #3: Too much pressure

If the noise from your radiator sounds like a pressure cooker, then it is probably due to the boiler pressure being too high.

To find out if the pressure in your boiler is too high, you will need to check it regularly.

Too much pressure in your boiler can have a variety of causes, including raising the temperature too quickly at the thermostat.

The solution to this problem is quite simple: if your boiler pressure is too high, bleed your radiator and open your boiler fill valve. Check that the pressure reaches a value between 1 and 1.5 bar, then close the filling valve.

Cause #4: Mud or scale in your pipes

The noises from your radiator can come from sludge or scaling of the pipes.

These noises are more difficult to identify.

However, you can do a test by bleeding your radiator: if the water flowing from the drain is brown or gray, this means that there is too much mud or scale in your pipes.

The solution to this problem is the desludging or descaling of the heating pipes. This operation must be carried out by a professional.

This will inject high-pressure air or a sludge removal product into your heating circuit, allowing all mud, scale, or limestone residues to be expelled.

My radiator is making noise, can it explode?

When a radiator is very noisy, the question of whether it can explode is legitimate.

Indeed, the noises can come from an overflow of air inside the heating circuits.

However, the more air there is in your pipes, the more pressure in your radiator will increase.

If you do nothing, the pressure will continue to increase gradually and in the most extreme cases, the radiator may end up exploding. Don’t wait to get there! As soon as your radiator starts making abnormal noises, the first thing to do is bleed it.

I bleed my radiator and the problem persists, what should I do?

If you have already purged your radiator and adjusted the pressure of your boiler, but the noises persist, you will need to call a professional heating engineer.

He will be able to study your radiator, find the cause of these noises and find a solution.

For example, if your heating engineer notices a reversal of the supply and return pipes, he can quickly put them back in place and solve your problem.

Similarly, if the heating engineer notices too much mud or scale in your heating circuit, he can quickly remove sludge from your radiator, which will solve your noise problem.

Why do you need to maintain your radiators?

Regular maintenance of your heating system is very important for several reasons.

First, if you do not regularly bleed your heating circuit, you risk too high a pressure in your boiler and therefore, in the long term, a risk of explosion.

In addition, a little or badly maintained heater will be damaged more quickly and present more problems more quickly. So it will cost you more.

But above all, a heating system that is little or badly maintained will be less efficient and less efficient. It will also consume more energy.

Thus, heating in poor condition will both increase your energy bill and be less ecological.

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