Got a credit card? use our Credit Card & Finance Calculators
Thanks to Wasron,jfgw,Rhyd6,eyeball08,Wondergirly, for Donating to support the site
Ticking radiator
Forum rules
Direct questions and answers, this room is not for general discussion please
Direct questions and answers, this room is not for general discussion please
-
- Lemon Quarter
- Posts: 4654
- Joined: November 8th, 2016, 5:01 pm
- Has thanked: 1195 times
- Been thanked: 903 times
Ticking radiator
Does anyone know why radiators sometimes tick? One of the two in my bedroom has started to tick when they come on and off (they have thermostatic valves) which is rather irritating.
-
- Lemon Slice
- Posts: 479
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 1:56 pm
- Has thanked: 1308 times
- Been thanked: 108 times
Re: Ticking radiator
Bouleversee wrote:Does anyone know why radiators sometimes tick? One of the two in my bedroom has started to tick when they come on and off (they have thermostatic valves) which is rather irritating.
I imagine there could be many different causes, but if it’s any help, mine used to tick and I solved it very easily in the end. The radiator brackets are a right-angled length of steel, screwed vertically onto the wall. They have slots into which small tabs welded onto the radiator slot. As the radiator heats up and expands, the tab stick-slides on the bracket and makes a tick every time it moves. My solution was to push down hard on the top of each end of the radiator, which wedges the tabs firmly in the slots. The expansion movement is then taken up by the brackets flexing rather than by relative movement. This may not work in your case but there could hardly be a quicker fix to try.
-
- Lemon Quarter
- Posts: 4654
- Joined: November 8th, 2016, 5:01 pm
- Has thanked: 1195 times
- Been thanked: 903 times
Re: Ticking radiator
Many thanks, Uri. Very helpful. I've just had a look at the brackets and I see one of them has come away from the wall a bit. Must have happened when the carers lowered the hospital bed which had been brought in during the final weeks of my late husband's illness. I remember there was a crash on one occasion. Not so easily remedied as one would have to take the rad. off to screw it back in and one might need a rawlplug or two. I'll have to get someone in but I think you have identified the problem. Some of the valves aren't working properly anyway and rads either never switch off or never get hot enough so will add it to the list.
-
- Lemon Slice
- Posts: 829
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 6:29 pm
- Has thanked: 152 times
- Been thanked: 208 times
Re: Ticking radiator
MyNameIsUrl wrote:I imagine there could be many different causes, but if it’s any help, mine used to tick and I solved it very easily in the end. The radiator brackets are a right-angled length of steel, screwed vertically onto the wall. They have slots into which small tabs welded onto the radiator slot. As the radiator heats up and expands, the tab stick-slides on the bracket and makes a tick every time it moves. My solution was to push down hard on the top of each end of the radiator, which wedges the tabs firmly in the slots. The expansion movement is then taken up by the brackets flexing rather than by relative movement. This may not work in your case but there could hardly be a quicker fix to try.
You can get plastic inserts to solve this problem, for example:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Plastic-Anti ... 2904635056
Mind you, a lot of mine have disintegrated over the years, but a bit of blu tack seems to work just as well.
-
- Lemon Slice
- Posts: 387
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 12:18 pm
- Has thanked: 351 times
- Been thanked: 201 times
Re: Ticking radiator
Stompa wrote:You can get plastic inserts to solve this problem, for example:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Plastic-Anti ... 2904635056
Mind you, a lot of mine have disintegrated over the years, but a bit of blu tack seems to work just as well.
Do you have to take the radiator off to fit these or can they be inserted with the radiator in situ?
-
- Lemon Slice
- Posts: 829
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 6:29 pm
- Has thanked: 152 times
- Been thanked: 208 times
Re: Ticking radiator
fisher wrote:Stompa wrote:You can get plastic inserts to solve this problem, for example:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Plastic-Anti ... 2904635056
Mind you, a lot of mine have disintegrated over the years, but a bit of blu tack seems to work just as well.
Do you have to take the radiator off to fit these or can they be inserted with the radiator in situ?
I've never done it myself, but I think the radiator would need to be lifted out of the slot. FWIW there's a video which shows their use here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDy3tSiEhrg
jump to 6:40.
-
- Lemon Quarter
- Posts: 1189
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 12:20 pm
- Has thanked: 319 times
- Been thanked: 306 times
Re: Ticking radiator
Isn't some of the 'ticking' noise just expansion and contraction of metal as it heats and cools?
-
- Lemon Quarter
- Posts: 2300
- Joined: November 4th, 2016, 4:20 pm
- Has thanked: 1899 times
- Been thanked: 870 times
Re: Ticking radiator
bruncher wrote:Isn't some of the 'ticking' noise just expansion and contraction of metal as it heats and cools?
Usually not the expansion and contraction per se, but the movement of the pipes or radiator caused by this expansion or contraction against the clips and brackets or joists where the pipes and radiators touch them. This movement is resisted for a while then goes all at once as the friction is overcome, causing a click or tick.
Hence the plastic gizmos which ease that movement by reducing the friction, allowing it move effortlessly and (hopefully!) silently.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests