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Why is my boiler making noises?

Why is my boiler making noises?

Is your boiler making banging or whistling noises? Chances are your boiler is ‘kettling’.  Kettling is when water inside the boiler reaches boiling point creating steam and a rise in pressure which leads to a whistling or banging type sound. If however your boiler is making gurgling noises can be trapped air moving through the boilers system and radiators.

No boiler is silent…

Remember your boiler isn’t meant to be silent. For example when the boiler is firing up or if the pump is circulating water around the system. However, you will usually recognise normal sounds against abnormal sounds.

Boiler Kettling

The water within your boiler is typically heated to 70° –  75° before being circulated around the radiators which in turn heats your home.  Issues arise when the flow of water is disrupted i.e. slowed down. This causes the water inside the boiler to heat too quickly and reach boiling point (100°).  This generates a lot of steam which usually causes a whistling sound much like a kettle boiling but can also be a banging sound.

Common reasons for a boiler kettling;

Limescale build up

Overtime limescale will build up within your central heating pipes and boilers heat exchanger, especially if you live in a hard water area. This can slow the flow of water.

Faulty thermostat

If your thermostat is not working correctly it can give an incorrect reading to the boiler allowing water to heat to dangerous temperatures. More common in older boilers, as newer appliances often have safety mechanisms to prevent this from happening.

Damaged pump

The boiler pump is responsible for pushing water round the system at the correct speed.  If the pump is faulty, the water is not likely to be pushed at the correct speed.

How to stop your boiler from kettling?

It is essential that in this situation you call a qualified Gas Safe engineer. They will inspect your boiler, diagnose and rectify any faults.  Never remove the boiler casing yourself or attempt to resolve an issue at home.

If the issue is due to limescale in the system, the best option may be to powerflush the heating system. This involves a special machine attached to your central heating system which will flush all the debris and limescale that has built up.  If a part is faulty the engineer will be able in most cases to replace the part.  If the boiler is older and showing multiple faults, it may be more cost effective and energy efficient to replace the existing boiler with a new energy saving model. A new boiler is likely to save you money on fuel bills as well as lowering your carbon footprint.

What next?

If you have any questions about this article, would like to book an engineer or arrange a free of charge no obligation boiler survey please call 01258 472132 or fill in the enquiry form and one of our team will get back to you as soon as they can.

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