Radiator banging / clicking - possible reaction to F1 protector?

[TheGiantHogweed]

Boiler kettling – It seemed that F1 protector it supposed to help with this, but it seemed putting that in caused trapped air and other nasty reactions.

Expanding / shrinking pipes – This sounds like it could indeed be the case. As I can lift and move my radiator slightly and feel it rubbing in the hole in the floorboards, and I can almost create the identical sounds myself by doing this. However, the radiators and pipes have not changed since our boiler got replaced, so as that is the case, I can’t understand why this should be related. Our heating with our old boiler just bade a very quiet and consistent tinkling while on, and no noise when off.

Dirty pipes – While we had the F1 protector put in supposedly to clean the system, given the reaction it caused, it probably has made it worse. We don’t have air / gas in the system now and the water seems clean, but I obviously can’t tell what the pipes are like. I don’t believe it is related to the radiators now, as I can turn them off at both the TRV and other valve and the noise still occurs from the pipes.

It could be something as simple as heat expansion due to the little plastic radiator clips breaking at the back where it goes onto the metal bracket

I had said in my original post (sorry for the length of if) about me thinking it could be expanding pipes, although I thought several things me and others had discussed since sort of made this unlikely. As the pipes and radiators haven't changed since the new boiler got put in place. And this clicking and banging only got introduced when the radiators got refilled with F1 protector a year ago. Almost all the pipes seem to do this now (but vary in volume), when they didn't before the system got bled out.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

But you changed boiler was the old one tanks in the loft and the new one pressure gauge ?

 

[John.g]

Well, it looks as if F1 started the noise so what about a drop of F2 into one of the rads to stop it?.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

But you changed boiler was the old one tanks in the loft and the new one pressure gauge ?

We have a water tank in the airing cupboard as well as a boiler downstairs in our kitchen. Our old water tank was still working when our old boiler gave up, but wasn't very efficient so we got that replaced at the same time as the boiler. I'm unsure of the type as I know little about this stuff. So I may well keep naming the things incorrectly.

Well, it looks as if F1 started the noise so what about a drop of F2 into one of the rads to stop it?.

I notice that many retailers sell Fernox of all types. This does look like a cheap option to try, but isn't this something that I shouldn't really be doing myself?

Even so, i I had to get someone in to do it, it would be cheaper than getting a powerflush. That may be the last option if nothing else works. But yes, it does seem to be the addition of F1 protector that made a significant change to the sound, and nothing I've tried myself recently has changed it.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Sorry that’s the cylinder have you always had the pressure guage / filling loop in the airing cupboard

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

The pressure gauge got added when we had the expansion vessel put in above the airing cupboard in the loft. My dad tells me that was probably over 10 years ago, so well before out boiler failed. He said this used to reduce in pressure by itself, and since we got our new boiler, it has been better at maintaining the same pressure. But as was suggested by John, I've increased it just a fraction.

 

[John.g]

If you wish, you can quite easily put a can of that F2 into a rad, just post a photo of one of your newest rads showing the air vents and can show you then.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

If you wish, you can quite easily put a can of that F2 into a rad, just post a photo of one of your newest rads showing the air vents and can show you then.

I will consider this then as it is easy to get hold of. It hopefully is one of these things that can me done by the inexperienced like myself and have little risk of causing any harm.

However, it does say it is intended for boiler noise, which isn't really the issue. I always hear the boiler come on and it is louder than our old one, but it just makes a noise that is only really noticeable in the kitchen or above in the bathroom and it seems a perfectly reasonable sound for what you should expect. The pipe noise surely won't be specifically boiler related will it? Especially when off.

I can't tell what is more likely to be the cause of this starting up. Not sure if emptying the system as well as adding the F1 protector was any more likely to trigger what happened rather than just adding the protector without bleeding the system.


This F2 protector doesn't cost much, but reading up about it, it still seems like it may not be the sort of thing that helps stop radiators and pipes banging / clicking. If it doesn't work, it likely will have to be will have to be wasted as the only other option i can see is the power flush.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

If you wish, you can quite easily put a can of that F2 into a rad, just post a photo of one of your newest rads showing the air vents and can show you then.

I will get a picture when I get the chance. I just need to understand the exact location on the radiators you are on about. Is this where you bleed them? Even the newer radiators take the same key to bleed them so they likely have the same style vent.


Regarding the heating noise, this picture is quite good at showing what the sound is like over the whole period the heating is on from 06:00 until 08:30.

Virtually all of the lines are the clicks. I could understand more if it was when it was coming on and going off, but the fact that when it is on, the pipes randomly start doing these clicks so frequently seems odd. Just before an hour for example.

 

[John.g]

Was it making noises when (if) you tried it with both CH&HW off and the hot tap opened?.

This is the plug end you remove after opening the vent (screwdriver slot), you first (after first shutting valves at both ends of rad) open the vent to ensure no pressure, then remove that blank end, open the vent a few more turns, syphon off a litre or so of water and pour in the F1 via a plastic funnel or whatever, close up the rad, reopen valves top up pressure if required, flash up the boiler and wait for the silence!!.