We have a Lennox Conservator in the basement and when the flame goes on, after a few minutes the pipes start making a banging sound like someone is hitting them with a 2x4. Supposedly the pipes were “bled” last year if that means anything…ah, it’s doing it again! Is there a simple solution to this or should I call a plumber or even an exorcist?
-Morgan
Hmmmm… it isn’t surprising that it makes some noise. Generally you are hearing the metal expanding and contracting.
But I can’t imagine why it would be as loud as you describe.
When the banging starts, you can even see one of the pipes shaking a little bit each time it happens. It’s been doing this for 2 years now! I’m thinking of transferring from gas to solar power!
Part of the problem might be that the pipes are not fastened down good, giving them room to vibrate. However, it would seem to be more than that. It is probably time to have the system checked anyway, so call an expert and ask him.
:eek: [sup]Before something more serious happens![/sup]
That does sound like a phenomenon called ‘air hammer’ (a difficult term to google as it is also the name of a tool) - I believe this is due to a trapped pocket of air somewhere in the system - air compresses much more readily than water (someone will be along shortly to say that water doesn’t compress at all - it does, but the compressibility of liquids is so slight that it is usually ignored).
When the pump starts, the water would normally flow around the system smoothly, but the air pocket gets compressed, then the air pressure pushes the rest of the water around, but this doesn’t happen smoothly and the whole thing starts to resonate.
When I had my central heating system installed, the plumber added a self-bleeding valve on the highest section of pipe - it’s a little device with some sort of float mechanism inside - air passes by and escapes, but water lifts the float and seals the valve.
Yeah…sounds like a job for Rob (the plumber). I’m even looking forward to paying his $85.00 an hour labour price!
(Pipes banging in the background as this is being typed)
Definitely get him to install a self-bleeding valve and check the system over for loops that might trap air.