Here in the Greater Boston area, most home boiler are heated either by a furnace (forced air heat supplied through air vents) or a boiler (heat supplied through steam radiators or baseboard heaters).

That’s how do they differ. Do you know what they have in common? Both need ongoing maintenance to perform at their best. And yet even with annual maintenance, sooner or later a heating system is going to start to wear down and develop certain problems.

Some of those problems – either from poor installation or general wear and tear – come in the form of noises you may not have heard before. Are here a few examples.

Knocking

As hot water enters heating pipes, the pipes expand and can rub against the floor, creating a knocking noise. You can help muffle the sound by placing wax paper or insulators between the pipes and flooring.

Pinging

Baseboard heaters have a series of metal fins that expand as they heat the air. If the fins are bent, crushed, or otherwise rubbing against each other, they make a pinging noise. To remedy this, remove the cover from your heater and carefully straighten the bent fins. You also can slide small pieces of wax paper between the fins and baseboard.

Banging

If you notice a banging sound, it’s probably coming from the boiler. There is a zone valve that closes when the circulator is running. This causes pressure to push against the air in the system, forcing the zone valve to open slightly, thus creating a banging sound.

Hammering

A loud hammering sound probably indicates that the boiler’s water supply is too hot.

Here at PC Plumbing, Heating, AC & Remodeling, we maintain and repair all makes and models of home furnaces and boilers. When the time comes, you also can count on us for high-quality new-system installation.

Contact us today for the service you need to keep your home warm and comfortable all winter long.