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Original poster

Cold radiator making very odd noise - any thoughts?!

17 replies

newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 08:22

Our tall heated towel rail in our bathroom is making a weird whooshing/chugging noise every couple of minutes.

The heating hasn’t been on for over a month so not sure why this has started now.

Does it need bleeding? It’s in our en-suite so needs sorting before bedtime 😂

OP posts:
Neeemo · 23/05/2024 08:39

newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 08:22

Our tall heated towel rail in our bathroom is making a weird whooshing/chugging noise every couple of minutes.

The heating hasn’t been on for over a month so not sure why this has started now.

Does it need bleeding? It’s in our en-suite so needs sorting before bedtime 😂

Try bleeding it and see.

Original poster
newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 08:50

Thanks @Neeemo will definitely be giving that a go later!

OP posts:
biedrona · 23/05/2024 13:03

could be sludge?

CassandraProphesying · 23/05/2024 13:16

As PO said sounds like air so needs bleeding. However, weird it would be doing that whilst your heating is not on. Is your hot water on whilst it’s doing it? If so it might a faulty diverter valve and it’s a combination of the rad coming on and also having air trapped in it.
Anyway, round these parts OPs often have to invoke the spirit of PigletJohn for the answer to conundrums like this 😁

Original poster
newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 17:02

So, bleeding it hasn’t helped although a lot of air came out…

Not sure what else to try. It’s been doing it all day, sounds like a horse snorting (short loud raspy sound)!!

OP posts:
Original poster
newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 17:06

CassandraProphesying · 23/05/2024 13:16

As PO said sounds like air so needs bleeding. However, weird it would be doing that whilst your heating is not on. Is your hot water on whilst it’s doing it? If so it might a faulty diverter valve and it’s a combination of the rad coming on and also having air trapped in it.
Anyway, round these parts OPs often have to invoke the spirit of PigletJohn for the answer to conundrums like this 😁

Edited

@pigletjohn

😊

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 23/05/2024 18:04

Have you got a hot water cylinder near it? What colour?

Does your boiler have a pressure gauge? What does it read?

Are these noises continuous, or do they occur after you have run a hot tap? Or particular times of day?

Original poster
newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 18:13

Thanks so much.

We have a hot water cylinder on the floor below. It’s a Range Tribune HE. Pressure on the expansion tank is currently 1.5 but when I checked it earlier it was on 0 🙈 so I topped it up. I then bled the radiator and loads of air came out. I thought I’d cracked it at that point, but no!!

Noises are every couple of minutes and unrelated to running water. Only started this morning.

The radiator is in our en-suite on the second floor of a three storey house.

Water cylinder is on middle floor in airing cupboard, boiler is on ground floor.

I’m 99% sure that the sound is coming from within the radiator but going to ask my husband to check up above it in the loft shortly.

OP posts:
Original poster
newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 18:14

@PigletJohn the noise is almost like a short sharp sneeze or snort, it’s quite loud.

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 23/05/2024 19:05

If the pressure went down to zero, you probably have a leak. Is water coming out of the cylinder? It may come out of a pipe on the side, into a sort of funnel that goes to a drain.

Go outside and look at the wall the boiler is on. There is probably a small pipe coming through the wall, bent back on itself. Is there any sign water has been coming out?

Does the radiator get warm?

PigletJohn · 23/05/2024 19:25

I can't place it, but as you have an unvented cyljnder, you need to get your gas repair person, with a certificate in unvented cyljnders, booked in to look at it.

I don't think there is scope for a DIY repair.

Original poster
newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 19:26

Thank you

To be honest we’ve had issues with the pressure dropping gradually over time and we’re rubbish at noticing it as everything still functions as normal. We had the blue tank replaced and the pressure gauge if I remember rightly a couple of years ago. I can’t remember the last time I checked the pressure before today. I only looked because the first time I tried to bleed the radiator, literally nothing came out, then once I repressured the system, a lot of air came out followed by a spurt of water!

I think the cylinder leaks a little, but not significantly. It drips around the filling levers for a while. It’s about 13 years old, original with the house.

There is no pipe fitting that description on the wall external to the boiler. Only a plastic vent type of thing where steam comes out when the boiler’s on.

we haven’t had the heating on for a few weeks but I did notice that the radiator in question was only tepid when we did have it on.

OP posts:
Original poster
newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 19:28

PigletJohn · 23/05/2024 19:25

I can't place it, but as you have an unvented cyljnder, you need to get your gas repair person, with a certificate in unvented cyljnders, booked in to look at it.

I don't think there is scope for a DIY repair.

Thank you, we have a heating engineer who does the annual service so I’ll contact him.

Really appreciate your time with this 😊

OP posts:
Original poster
newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 19:37

Oh my good god 🙈

How embarrassing! My husband went and sat in the bathroom to try and figure out what was going on and has just discovered that it was the electric toothbrush (which lives on a shelf next to the radiator) was having some sort of mini meltdown and whirring intermittently and sort of vibrating against the side of its container.

@PigletJohn I’m so sorry to waste your time

OP posts:
EarringsandLipstick · 23/05/2024 19:39

Well, regardless, if your pressure gauge was at zero, you have a leak somewhere.

Original poster
newnamenellie · 23/05/2024 19:44

EarringsandLipstick · 23/05/2024 19:39

Well, regardless, if your pressure gauge was at zero, you have a leak somewhere.

Yep, I’m going to get our plumber in anyway 👍🏻

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 23/05/2024 19:50

Haha!

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