Clicking radiator NON STOP help!

[Chelseea90]

Moved into a house in April.
Removed a radiator in bedroom when renovating. The plumber capped the pipes. After that our builder filled the whole in the ground with cement and then new wooden floors were laid. A month later (when the radiators were off) the remaining radiator with making a small clicking sound ever now and then. When we put the heating on in october; the clicking got more frequent and louder. We are now in december and rhe clicking is so loud, we have moved into the guest bedroom. It is nearly constant, it sometimes sounds like a machine gun. Now the clicking has suddenly started in the home office room next door and in the garage also adjacent to the bedroom (not nearly as high or often though). A plumber came and meant the old radiators need new thermostatic valves and change them. Honestly it’s only gotten worse since then. Another plumber has tried to reset the boiler and fiddle with the new valves. Nothing is working. It’s like none of the plumbers can figure it out. It’s driving us nuts to the point of sometimes wanted to scream kick and rip the radiator off.

The radiators are thin and from the 50’s.

Could it have been caused by removing a radiator? The plumber doesnt seem to think so as the heating system is from 2019 and should regulate pressure automatically

Its just that nothing else makes sense. Maybe thicker, newer radiators like we have in the kitchen and guest room would help the problem?

PLEASE come with your smart input! I can’t bear this sound anymore!

 

[Chelseea90]

PS. The radiators NEVER clicked prior to April. This used to be my mothers house and she never heard a sound for 20 years.

 

[Chelseea90]

The sound when i put my ear to it comes from the right top of the radiator. But could it be that maybe the wooden floor is too close to pipes on one pipe?

 

[Madrab]

Clicking is usually either the metal of the radiator itself expanding or the pipes either clicking together under the floor or against the surface it is touching. Yes the flooring does look too close to it and could create the clicking.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Your 'constant' clicking/ticking- listen to it carefully, does it start when rads are heating from cold (quite loud and frequent) then slow and eventually stop or become occasional/intermittent when the rad and pipes are hot?
If yes then it is just noise from thermal expansion of the pipes and yes moving a rad and/or pipes can change it.
If you've buried pipes direct in cement or otherwise fixed them solidly you'll just transfer the expansion effects further down the pipe run.

 

[Chelseea90]

Your 'constant' clicking/ticking- listen to it carefully, does it start when rads are heating from cold (quite loud and frequent) then slow and eventually stop or become occasional/intermittent when the rad and pipes are hot?
If yes then it is just noise from thermal expansion of the pipes and yes moving a rad and/or pipes can change it.
If you've buried pipes direct in cement or otherwise fixed them solidly you'll just transfer the expansion effects further down the pipe run.

Sorry do u mean the cement is causing it? What would the solution be? The clicking is regular all the time even when rad is boiling hot

 

[oldbutnotdead]

The solution is to give the pipes freedom to move. Bigger holes in the floor where the pipes come up to the rad, deep enough notches/large enough holes in joists, that sort of stuff

 

[JohnD]

Wrap the pipes in hessian/felt where they touch or cross anything.

It is not much good as insulation, but the pipes slide freely on it.

If in concrete, chip it carefully away to give them a little slack.

If anything has been worked on recently, it might have moved enough to start the clicking. Radiators, for example, are mounted on brackets which permit them to be repositioned sideways.

You can also get a noise from TRVs that have been incorrectly fitted. It will temporarily stop if you manually turn them all the way up or down as a test.

 

[Chelseea90]

Wrap the pipes in hessian/felt where they touch or cross anything.

It is not much good as insulation, but the pipes slide freely on it.

If in concrete, chip it carefully away to give them a little slack.

If anything has been worked on recently, it might have moved enough to start the clicking. Radiators, for example, are mounted on brackets which permit them to be repositioned sideways.

You can also get a noise from TRVs that have been incorrectly fitted. It will temporarily stop if you manually turn them all the way up or down as a test.

Thanks. I’m not sure how i can do the concrete thingy… my radiators are mounted on metal brackets stuck on some kind of cardboard rectangle but cant or havnt been repositioned. We just installed new TRV’s. Didn’t help. Problem only got worse. It does stop when I turn all the way off but is super klicky when rad is turned on even at the highest. When it is on it clicks 80% of the day

 

[JohnD]

We just installed new TRV’s. Didn’t help. Problem only got worse. It does stop when I turn all the way off but is super klicky when rad is turned on even at the highest. When it is on it clicks 80% of the day

Are you telling me that the clicking immediately stops or starts when you turn the TRV down or up?

 

[JohnD]

And if you stand at the radiator, while an accomplice stands at the room thermostat, or boiler, does the clicking immediately stop when they turn the heating off?

 

[JohnD]

If so, then your TRVs are incorrectly installed.

We just installed new TRV’s.

There are a few ways to address it.

Please post photos of the valves at BOTH ends of your radiator

And of your circulating pump, if accessible.

Do you have a hot- water cylinder? What colour.

 

[Chelseea90]

Are you telling me that the clicking immediately stops or starts when you turn the TRV down or up?

The clicking is insane when radiator is on full heat. If i turn it off, or even down a bit it stops. However if it is still on, but turned down, it will start clicking again after a few hours. We had 2 plumbers come. One installed new TRVs because we complained about clicking and they said it’s probably the old TRVs. It’s just gotten worse since then. Second plumber came and re-adjusted the new ones. No difference. Will send pics. Wish I could attach video, the sound is absolutely crazy , haha. No plumber (had 3 of them come over) can tell me what the issue is. Is driving me insane not being able to sleep in my bedroom.

 

[JohnD]

Are you telling me that the clicking immediately stops or starts when you turn the TRV down or up?

Was that a "yes?"

 

[Chelseea90]

Was that a "yes?"

Well actually no it doesnt stop ”immediately”. Checked again. I just turned TRV down completely. Still clicking for the past 3 minutes. Will probs take a while to stop maybe until cooled down?