My boiler is making a lot of noise

We’ve already provided advice about what to do if a boiler starts leaking water or if it breaks down. However, what if your boiler is making banging noises?

This can be the sign of serious problems; the boiler might be working properly right now, but it is likely to break down in the immediate future, and could be posing a serious safety risk to you and other people at the moment. Read on to find out why your boiler could be making noise.

So why is your boiler making noise?

Clunking and banging noises are called ‘kettling’ noises, and are caused when limescale accumulates on the heat exchanger. This blocks the flow of water and causes some water to boil, steam and expand, as seen in a kettle and so your boiler could be making loud banging noises.

Although modern boilers are full of innovative safety devices, such as pressure relief valves, that should minimise the likelihood of kettling causing your boiler to blow up, this problem will significantly reduce the efficiency of your boiler and will cause internal damage in the long-term.

Boiler whistling noises can also be caused by kettling, or could be due to trapped air within the system. If the problem is caused by trapped air, the boiler repair will be relatively simple and will merely involve releasing the trapped air. Engineers will also identify what caused air to become trapped in the boiler and perform appropriate repairs. Whistling noises may also be caused by a loss of water pressure or a blockage.

Gurgling noises within a gas boiler may also be caused by air in the system, a blockage or sediment at the bottom of the boiler. Boiler gurgling may also be caused by a frozen condensate pipe, and this pipe will need to be thawed. If you know what you’re doing, you can thaw a condensate pipe with hot water bottles and heat wraps, but you should only do so if the pipe is easily accessible and is at ground level.

Boiler banging? It can be annoying to endure boiler noise so get an Gas-Safe engineer called out

What to do when a boiler is making a gurgling, clunking, banging or whistling noise

Research shows that 1 in 10 boilers are unsafe. You should not attempt any boiler repairs yourself – aside from thawing an easily accessible condensate pipe. If you have gas boiler breakdown cover with us, then you can have a boiler breakdown resolved any day of the year – we’re proud to be able to offer a 24/7 service to our customers.

Remember, all work on gas boilers must be performed by Gas Safe-registered engineers. Boilers might seem like an innocuous home appliance, but they can be very dangerous when they are not working properly so it’s imperative to get it looked at if you have a whistling boiler, noisy boiler, a banging boiler, a knocking boiler or a gurgling boiler.

Still having trouble?

Don’t attempt to touch any part of your boiler or central heating system if you’re unsure. Did you know? It’s illegal for anyone to use a gas appliance if they think it’s unsafe. It’s always better to be safe than sorry as you could make things worse.

Instead, call us on 0345 3192 247 and we can help. Our technical team will run through some simple troubleshooting to see if your problem can be resolved on the phone or they can book one of our friendly and knowledgeable Gas Safe registered engineers to get you back up and running as soon as possible.

Is your radiator making a bubbling noise? Read our simple advice guide to find out how to fix it here.

247 Home Rescue accepts no liability for any injuries or damages you sustain following the advice on this website. If in doubt, seek professional assistance.