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My gas boiler is making a lot of noise when it is working
Anonymous user 19 February 2011 - 9.43 AM
I have a Potteron Flamingo 50s, that is make a lot of noise when in use, it is reasonable quiet just after it is turned on then after a minute or so the clanking and banging noises start and they are quite loud but the volume does die down over time. I suspect it is quite old and being in a rented property I doubt it has been maintained properly. I was just wondering if this is something I need to be worried about or is it just normal for a boiler of this type/age? Also if I did want to get my landlord to fix it what should I be telling him he needs to get done? Thanks for you help!
5 answers from MyBuilder tradespeople
Anonymous user
the problem is called kettling: With regards to kettling, banging or popping noises in the central heating boiler, this is usually caused by either lime scale and corrosion debris becoming baked onto the inside surfaces of the heat exchanger, leading to localised boiling (due to hot-spots). This is a common problem with low-water content wall-mounted boilers over about 10 years old. Provided that the heat exchanger is not too scaled up, or damaged, then by following the procedure below, may restore it back to normal, for a few years more. A good method to clean the boiler and system to prevent a reoccurrence of the noise problem is to use Fernox Heavy duty Restorer and Fernox DS-40 boiler descaler as outlined by Fernox, so avoiding boiler replacement and re-plumbing. Note that FERNOX DS-3 SHOULD NOT BE USED, THAT IS FOR WATER HEATERS. ONLY DS-40 OR SIMILAR PRODUCTS SPECIFICALLY FORMULATED FOR CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEMS SHOULD BE USED.
Answered
19 February 2011
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Anonymous user
Hello, noise, banging and clanging often means that the heat exchanger is scaled up and or the pump is worn out. The noise is called kettling and is caused by the building of scale on the heat excahanger causing oxygen bubbles to be formed on its surface, just like the noise you get from a scaled up kettle or immersion heater. You can buy boiler noise silencer and pour into the header tank, check the label, as most of these can stay in the system, this stuff breaks down the scale. But really you would need to drain some water off the system first, not something you should do if not competant or if it is the landlords resposibility. I would compalin to the landlord. The system needs to be power flushed and de-scaled. Bear in mind that a scaled up boiler is very inefficient as is sludged up radiators. A slow pump can also cause kettling as the water isn't moving through the boiler fast enough and it can boil, hence steam and then banging. A gas safety test will only state the gas supply condition and flue/vent tests, it will not cover the wet side of the boiler. The Potterton Flamingo has a permanent pilot and was <65% efficient when new 20 + years ago, with problems above I would estimated <45% efficient now, more of the heat is going out the flue than to the house!!
Answered
19 February 2011
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Anonymous user
it sounds like air but you best ask your landlord when it last had a gas safty checked it should by law be every year Thomas
Answered
19 February 2011
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In my opinion I would say that you probably have air in the system but there may also be a bit of a blockage.A powerflush may cure it but to be honest a boiler that age I think would be more economical to replace. Tony
Answered
19 February 2011
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Hi there,the boiler may be old,but the problem could be more to do with the pump/system/pipework.sound like it needs to be checked out properly by a trained engineer...Brian
Answered
19 February 2011
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