If this were Halloween, I would write something clever about things that go bump in the night, but since it’s late winter I’ll just have to get right to the point. Heating systems, especially radiant systems, aren’t supposed to be noisy. If you are hearing bumps in the night (banging sounds) it means something is wrong in your Illinois or Northwest Indiana home.
Forced Air vs Radiant
While banging sounds can come from a forced air furnace, it’s more likely to happen with a radiant heating system. That’s because pipes carry hot water or steam throughout the home or commercial building. Those pipes and the radiators are constantly expanding and contracting due to heating and cooling. This can cause the banging sounds. Let’s look more closely at some of the specifics and how to deal with the problem.
Air Trapped in System
When air gets trapped in what is supposed to be a sealed heating system, the bubbles in the water can cause rattling, clanging, and banging noises. This requires a process known as bleeding to remove the air from the system. It’s best handled by an HVAC technician.
Pipe Expansion
As we mentioned earlier, your pipes are constantly expanding and contracting. This causes them to shift slightly. When the pipes pass through or are attached to a hard surface like wood, the movement can make a banging sound. In some cases, putting small pieces of foam around the pipes can help. In other cases, it might take a professional to fix the problem.
Kettling
This is something that happens inside the boiler used to heat the water or make the steam. Many times, it’s caused by limescale accumulating on the heat exchanger. This restricts water flow, and the heat exchanger gets too hot. The rapid expansion and contraction causes banging sounds. Our Merts technicians can usually fix the problem with a water treatment to remove the mineral buildup.
Ready, Willing, and Able to Help
Whatever kind of heating system you have, boiler or furnace maintenance is vital to assure efficient and quiet operation. If you are experiencing banging sounds from the heating system in your Illinois or Northwest Indiana home, Merts can fix the problem. And if you’re not, we can prevent it from happening in the future with regular maintenance. Call today to make an appointment. For more great information like this, be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.