Unusual noise from boiler

PukkaStukka

We have a ten year old Ideal Elise H24. Great boiler and has been bullet proof.

Recently I've noticed a howl / squealing noise from it that's akin to the resonance you get from running your finger around a wine glass.

It happens when the boiler is hot and only while it's running at it's hottest for a while. Turn the stat down and with the boiler on low power, the noise stops.

Using a long screw driver as a stethoscope and it sounds like the noise isn't coming from.the pump, and I doubt it's the fan because the noise cannot be heard outside through the flue.

The boiler was serviced recently and it behaved perfectly. The engineer said all was fine and lubricated the fan as a matter of routine. From his gas analyser he said it was running at just over 90% efficiency.

So on the face of it, it does seem like there's nothing much wrong but unwanted noises are not good and it needs to be fixed

Anyone any ideas what the cause may be? Am going to call the engineer back for the week after next

Nedzer01

Had the same issue myself - had one crowd say it needed a new expansion vessel and safety valve - the guts of 500 quid. Got in another person and they fixed it for about 150 or so but said it needs replacement within a year or so. Flue especially needs replacement. Interested to hear how you get on OP.

I have found this can at times be caused by the mixture of the gas and air, this is less likely if the settings in the manufacturers instructions match the boilers, it could also be a burner issue as a defective burner can generate noises while the fan pushes the mixture through at higher speeds.

corkgsxr

Could be start of a blocked heat exchanger.

It starts to overheat and make noise

Did it start after someone was at it or slowly develop.

Gas could be set too high

PukkaStukka

corkgsxr wrote: »

Could be start of a blocked heat exchanger.

It starts to overheat and make noise

Did it start after someone was at it or slowly develop.

Gas could be set too high

Developed itself. Nobody was at it beforehand

PukkaStukka

PukkaStukka wrote: »

Developed itself. Nobody was at it beforehand

As mentioned by corkgsxr it could be a indication of a restricted heat exchanger which is called kettling as the noise it makes is similar to that of a kettle before it boils

If it’s a mixture or burner issue then it’s similar to blowing in to a empty milk bottle or now I’m older a beer bottle but much louder.

PukkaStukka

If it's heat exchanger, can it be cleaned or would it needs replacement?

PukkaStukka

PukkaStukka wrote: »

If it's heat exchanger, can it be cleaned or would it needs replacement?

You would have to have the boiler and water checked first, if the heat exchanger is the cause then having the system cleaned may help but most of the time a new heat exchanger is required.

PukkaStukka

gary71 wrote: »

You would have to have the boiler and water checked first, if the heat exchanger is the cause then having the system cleaned may help but most of the time a new heat exchanger is required.

I had the system inspected and I was told the same as this. I'm going to have the system flushed and a filter put on it. The filter is supposedly like a metal cylinder that is flushed periodically. I know nothing about them but I suppose it's no harm to do this

PukkaStukka

PukkaStukka wrote: »

I had the system inspected and I was told the same as this. I'm going to have the system flushed and a filter put on it. The filter is supposedly like a metal cylinder that is flushed periodically. I know nothing about them but I suppose it's no harm to do this

The filter is a magnet which grabs the dissolved metal partials(magnetite) in the water from your heating system, the filter will also work like a dipstick so the water can be monitored overtime to help identify any issues before they occur.

PukkaStukka

Sounds like a good piece of kit to have and have agreed to have it fitted. Am waiting for my engineer to give me a quote for doing it.