Is Your Boiler Making Noise? Diagnose Your Noise and Learn How to Fix It
Boilers are notoriously known for making all types of noises including banging, chugging, vibrating, gurgling, and tapping. All these noises can come from your boiler. It’s very likely that your boiler is on its way out or needs a good boiler service. There may be blockages, limescale, low water pressure or overheating. Ensure you get a Gas Safe engineer to assess your boiler as they will give you an accurate assessment and next steps.
If your boiler is making a variety of concerning noises or your pipes sound usually loud. This is your boiler’s way of telling you something is wrong. It’s important to get down to the root of the matter quickly. In this guide, we will explain the variety of noises your boiler can make and how to diagnose these sounds before they become a large problem warranting a large repair bill!
Common Reasons For a Noisy Boiler
- Low Water Flow and Pressure
- Limescale Build Up
- Overheating
- Central Heating Sludge and Build Up
- Air Lock in Boiler Pump
- Covered, Blocked, Or Faulty Heat Exchanger
- Faulty Thermostat
1. You Need to Identify Where The Noise Coming From
This may seem like a strange first step but within your home noises can come from a variety of places. Common places would be your radiator or your pipes. Creaks and cracks can be perfectly normal coinciding with temperature changes.
2. Listen to The Types of Noises Your Boiler is Making
In this step, you need to listen to the type of noise your boiler is making. If you are hearing loud concerning noises it could be time to call a professional Gas Safe engineer.
Gurgling Noises
Gurgling sounds are quite common in your radiator, usually, this is due to trapped air in the system or the frozen condensate pipe. It’s important to keep note if the noises become more frequent and loud as this will need to be investigated. There are simple fixes that can be carried out at home yourself, depending on the issue and severity.
- Check if your system needs bleeding
It’s likely there is trapped air in the system causing the gurgling. By bleeding your radiators you can release this air. If this is not rectified quickly, over time, the trapped air in your radiator can lead to further damage. Click the link to find out more about bleeding your radiator. - Check if your pipes are frozen
Your boiler condensate pipe sometimes can be outside. It tends to be a white overflowing pipe. If this is frozen, then it could cause gurgling noises. Try to thaw the pipe with warm to hot water, not boiling. - Check if you have low water pressure
Check the pressure gauge on your boiler usually if the pressure gauge is below 1 this could indicate the gurgling noise is because of this. Ensure to check your user manual to give accurate instruction on how to increase the water pressure.
Loud Banging
Loud banging on your boiler can indicate a build of debris, causing a blockage or impeding the natural water flow. Another reason may be because of a faulty thermostat. Either way, in this situation you will need a qualified Gas Safe engineer to manually clean the boiler parts or perform a power flush
Vibrating Noise
If your boiler is making loud vibrating noises, then this could possibly be because of loose brackets attached to the boiler. Tightening these brackets may solve this problem. If you still hear the vibrating contact a Gas Safe engineer to support you with the next steps as they may be an underlined issue.
Whistling/ Kettling
It may sound odd but your boiler can make a whistling sound or as some people call it a kettling noise. This is because it sounds like a kettle and one of the main reasons for this sound is because there is a build-up of limescale on the boiler heat exchanger.
Limescale is the build-up of calcium deposits and this is especially common with pipework. When limescale builds up it can restrict the flow of water.As a result of this water can get trapped in the boiler heat exchanger which can cause the boiler to overheat, generate steam, and expand.
This process causes the whistling noise. Additional reasons for the kettling or whistle sound could be because debris and dirt are stuck within the heat exchange or pumps. This can also cause your boiler to have to work harder reducing its efficiency and lifespan costing you more in energy bills.
Banging
If you find when you turn on your hot tap you are hearing banging, this could be because your boiler is overheating. It could be you have a faulty thermostat or your thermostat is completely broken and not able to communicate effectively to the boiler.
If the thermostat is broken the burners may stay on longer than they should, this can cause your heat exchanger to overheat and cause steam bubbles to form. Try turning off your boiler and cooling down the system then restart your boiler. If this does not work, then it’s time to call a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Get Help to Fix Your Noisy Boiler
Here at Origin, we place customer satisfaction at the forefront of what we do. Our reviews speak volumes. If you are still experiencing problems don’t hesitate to contact us. All our heating engineers are Gas Safe registered and are able to rectify any problems. We are able to examine your boiler and give you realistic next steps to get optimum heating back into your home.