Old Cast Iron Radiator Knocking Noise: Causes & Solutions for Irregular Tapping Sounds

I have a problem with the old cast iron radiator in the block. The radiator makes "noises" - something like a knocking noise. I don't know what it's caused by. The tapping is irregular, once every few seconds, and sometimes stops for longer. And then again. It bothers me the most at night - I can't sleep. What to do?

The knocking is caused by a change in the heater temperature. I have the same at home

I heard the same thing from others with a similar problem. But is there anything you can do about it. My ears are already aching from stopwatches. And somehow I can't get used to it

Replace the heater with a copper one

Check if the radiator mounting has loosened (if the installation temperature changes slowly, it should not knock as much). If possible, turn off the radiator at night (it should not produce knocks by itself, only knocks from neighbors).

and will this knocking cause unsealing of the installation after a while? I have exactly the same effect at home, but it happened after the pump was added to the installation, apparently the radiators warmed up much slower earlier.

Hello to all interested in the topic I have a similar problem in the block and the question here is whether someone has already found a solution to the problem?

It usually knocks on the radiator mounting brackets (hooks).
If you can, remove the heater and put flexible pads on the holders.
Should there be a problem with disassembly, try the contact of the handle and the heater
coat with a good solid lubricant, preferably resistant to higher temperatures.

Turn off the heater and listen. If this is the case, then look (I don't know how) from your neighbors. If it's gone, you know it's yours. Then take a stick (wooden) about 0.3-0.5 m. Put one end in your ear, and the other end to the place where you might knock. If you find where it is, you can remove it as outlined by colleagues above

It's best to think a little: These knocks occur when a medium is flowing at a higher temperature than the pipes and the radiator actually are. This is done by regulating the temperature in your block's heat node. When the temperature in the model room reaches the set value, the controller closes the valve (in the heat node) and the temperature in the network is reduced. Sometimes the temperature in the internal network will drop very much, most often this happens when the outside temperature is relatively high. The solution to this problem is the use of the so-called expansion bellows, but in old internal networks this is rather impossible as these networks were not designed to be temperature controlled. My colleague toxi_14 is right in his diagnosis.

Radtke wrote:

It's best to think a little.

I think about a year in a row and the trail hits me because nobody can help me, I guess it's a hopeless case.

You cannot hear anything here, and Kaszpirowski is not here either.
Recently, some internet or telephones have been selling: adin, two, three, chietyre, drink ...
Seriously, you have to listen and diagnose yourself. SO MUCH.

After all, my colleagues have accurately diagnosed the phenomenon, I have listened to knocking at home (private cottage) for several years. Now, when replacing the entire installation (copper, alu), I made culverts in the walls, insulated with a pipe sponge (it's really a bit more complicated than I describe), pipes on plastic handles, heaters on hooks with plastic spacers and now silence until my ears hurt. In a block rather impossible to perform.

There is everything to be done. They even built pyramids once

They used to build pyramids and now the cooperative can't remove the knocks

Therefore, try this

mirrzo wrote:

Then take a stick (wooden) about 0.3-0.5 m. Put one end in your ear, and the other end to the place where you might knock.

The closer to the noise, the louder it is heard. You can also hear it with a medical stethoscope, but it's more expensive. Same effect.

I don't think it's for me I heard my downstairs neighbor turn on the radiator tonight and there was a knocking sound

Hurrah,
so we are not alone. I mean understanding the problem. I tried to get advice from a fellow plumber, but he didn't take it very seriously.
We have been struggling with this for many years. We live in a block of flats. Knocking symptoms in only one radiator, such as already described and bothering at night. It's hard to diagnose where, but I'll take your advice and try. If someone is victorious, let him write

regards
hydrates

Hello Brothers (and Sisters?) To misfortune.

I am half-alive because my radiator (cast iron, block from 1983) gave a concert all night long. I have a few observations, maybe we'll come up with something smart together.

It is not true that nothing can be done. Until last year, I lived in a different block. There it also rattled, but instead of cast iron radiators, they were so flat (it is supposedly called a "heating panel"). It was very bad, and professionals from the cooperative either shook their heads or dismissed the problem. Eventually I called WPEC and was only asked what address it was. Soon after, I found the radiators cold and heard a mighty gurgling sound. Apparently they were washing something. The problem has since disappeared.

Now, unfortunately, I live elsewhere, the block is managed by the community, which - to put it mildly - does not care much, despite repeated comments. The WPEC can also be invited only by her ... so I have to deal with it myself. Well, some expert told me that knocking often occurs due to the friction of the expanding riser against the through-pipe. Indeed, the risers are not exactly centered in these tubes, but just touching them on one side. I made cardboard sleeves and pressed. A few nights (because it does not knock during the day) I had peace. For three days, unfortunately, not anymore ... but now it knocks differently.

It had been metallic knocks before, now it was a dull, dripping water. Tightened the mount, the valve. I experimented with different degrees of valve opening (old, no thermoregulation). And nothing. I have the impression that the source of the knocking is in the place where the pipe carrying water to the radiator is welded to the riser, but I will check it later. I will let you know what the effects of my work are ... and if it fails, feathers will fly from the housing community (or more specifically: the board) ...

Regards

Welcome back,

Unfortunately, nothing helped. Neither wrapping the risers with cardboard so that they would not rub against the through pipes, nor putting a band on the "heard" place of knocking, nor checking the valve and heater and tightening everything that could have loosened. I sleep with earplugs ...

Time for a serious talk with the community board, but I doubt it will do any good. The knocking increases in the early evening and morning when the installation temperature changes. Without replacing the risers, nothing will improve.

If you live in a block of flats, your work is in vain, because your job may be okay and your neighbor carries all the noise, so you won't be running around the block and checking with whom because the installation is expanding and probably somewhere is plastered or concreted without any cover and not freely may widen slightly there is a clicking noise

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I also have this problem. I don't know much about plumbing, but the "fafs" from this job said it was related to several factors:

a) air in the installation
The situation is as follows - usually on the lower floor there is a radiator that is turned off. Since air dissolved in the water also circulates in many installations, it collects in the return pipe and / or the radiator. The moment we unscrew our radiator, the installation expands, so air bubbles from the water supply pipe in our neighbor's radiator break off and travel up to curves with our cast iron heat. On the other hand, the water that flows down from our radiator also causes air compensation and the effect as above. The result - loud farts wandering all over the place. The problem lies in the radiator and the water-air system turned off at the neighbor's.

b) metal expansion
as someone wrote, heating pipes and radiators lengthen and scrape on the mounts.

c) rigid mounting in the wall
i.e. no flexible bushings

d) clogged pipes, reduced flow diameter

e) use of a thermoregulator in the node and on the radiator
depending on the temperature at which it is set, it controls the water flow itself. If it reacts too quickly, there will be a number of phenomena I wrote about above.

f) poorly designed installation or poor conditions of its use.
Too high operating pressure, often manifests itself in the fact that it releases water on the automatic membrane vents. Too low pressure will again cause a large difference in the heating speed of the intake and return pipes - there will be some shear stresses on rigid fixings. Temperature too high. Portions too short. Faulty valves for thermostatic heads.

g) my moron neighbor hits the pipes with a hammer all night long.

From time to time, especially on weekends, when I wanted to sleep longer, I was woken up in the morning by such a loud knocking sound from the radiator. It turned out that the neighbors on the ground floor have a bed next to the radiator and a dog that wants to walk very much, runs around the bed and bangs its tail on the radiator.

Hello, I noticed that knocking is very common on radiators with thermostatic valves, as if there was no smooth regulation of the water flow. When the valve closes, the radiator cools down and knocks, when the valve opens, it also knocks, it does not knock when it is open to the maximum. greetings.

Hello. I join the topic, I have the same problem. I live in a block of flats, the radiator is old cast iron, I don`t turn it on at all because it doesn`t heat up, and from the beginning of winter, from morning to night, from time to time there are these strange knocking sounds, as if someone from above or below was hitting/kicking the radiator irregularly, sometimes several times. minutes, then a break of several minutes and again. I will only add that I have a small room, 2x3 m, the bed next to the radiator, but no matter where I move it, I will still hear it in such a small room, I don`t know what to do, it`s really terribly tiring in the evening.