Why is my boiler making a noise?
Banging, whistling and gurgling each point at different faults. Here is how to tell them apart.
Boilers are not silent, but a new noise is always worth paying attention to. The type of noise narrows it down considerably.
Kettling — whistling or rumbling
Sounds like a kettle coming to the boil. Usually limescale or sludge on the heat exchanger causing water to overheat locally. Common in hard water areas. It wears the heat exchanger, so it is worth dealing with rather than living with.
Banging or clunking
Often air in the system, or pipework expanding against a joist or clip. Bleeding the radiators sometimes solves it. If it started suddenly and is loud, get it looked at.
Gurgling
Usually trapped air, low pressure, or a partially frozen condensate pipe in cold weather. The frozen pipe is a common January call-out and is often fixable without an engineer — though it will keep happening until the pipe is lagged properly.
Humming or vibrating
Frequently the pump — either failing, or set too high. Sometimes loose mountings.
Which noises mean stop now
Any loud bang on ignition, or a noise that comes with a smell of gas, means turn the boiler off and call a Gas Safe registered engineer. If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 first.
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