Boiler Repair in Pittsburgh, PA

If your boiler is leaking from the base, turn off its power and shut off the water supply to stop damage. Call a technician immediately to evaluate the issue and get the necessary repairs.

In some cases, a rusty boiler can be repaired, but it depends on the extent of the damage. If the rust has caused structural damage or affected critical components, it may be more cost-effective to replace the unit. A professional technician can evaluate the situation and recommend the best option.

Humming can be caused due to your pump being set too high, which will cause the water to travel too fast. This could also be caused by bearings in your boiler fan that are loose and need to be readjusted. 

A boiler making rumbling noises can be caused by bits of sediment, limescale, or rust heating up and expanding in the cylinder. Another cause of rumbling noises is high-pressure buildup in the system. If the water that flows through the boiler system has a pressure that’s too high, you may hear humming or whining noises coming from the valves in your home. You will want to check the valves if this occurs and adjust the pressure as needed.

A boiling teapot, or boiling kettle, sound is most often caused by air trapped in the central heating system or due to kettling. To resolve this, try bleeding your radiators to get the excess air out.

If bleeding the radiators does not eliminate the boiling sound in your boiler, then it’s possible kettling is the problem. As the name implies, kettling is the noise you hear when a tea kettle is whistling once the water starts to boil. This is caused by limescale accumulating or from debris buildup due to corrosion. This is something that happens naturally. Limescale buildup is caused by hard water, and it can affect your heat exchanger and restrict water flow. This will cause the water in the system to heat to such a high temperature that it will boil and then turn into steam and expand, causing the boiling sound. This issue will require a service professional to resolve.

Loud rattling noises can often indicate an object that is shaking due to being loose or parts vibrating against each other. It’s also possible that air has gotten inside the pipework. Bleeding the radiators will help to resolve excess air buildup in your boiler system. Read the guide for your system closely to determine how to bleed the radiators. Be sure to read how to repressurize the boiler system and do so after you have finished bleeding, as doing so can affect the system pressure.

If you hear banging, popping sounds, or a combination of both, kettling is likely being caused due to sludge building up or from mineral deposits within the system. Kettling often happens in older cast-iron heat exchanges as well as in areas with water that is prone to hard water.

A more severe cause of banging noises can be from large air bubbles popping within the system that sound like a loud bang reverberating through the system so loud that it will cause the boiler to shake. As terrifying as this noise can be, it gives no indication at all that the boiler will explode. These bubbles can also happen due to buildup in the system and require a professional to properly clean and service your boiler.

If air bubbles are trapped in the central heating system’s water, they can collapse and expand, creating a clicking or tapping noise. This is another issue often caused by kettling from hard water or debris buildup and will need to be cleaned by a professional.

If you hear dripping or a gurgling sound in the pipework or your radiators, it likely means air is trapped in the boiler system. You never want to have air in your boiler. Trapped air prevents heat from radiating sufficiently throughout your rooms. This causes the boiler system to run for longer periods and use excessive amounts of fuel to heat your home. Also, be sure to regularly bleed your radiators or do so when you hear odd noises to ensure you are getting maximum energy efficiency from your boiler heating system.

Another possibility to be aware of that can cause gurgling is if you have a frozen condensate pipe. If one of the pipes has frozen, immediately defrost the pipe to avoid damage to your boiler. First, you will want to locate the frozen blockage and defrost it by pouring hot, not boiling water on the pipe to thaw it. Alternatively, you could use a microwave heat pack, a hot water bottle, or a hot towel to thaw the pip out.

Hearing what sounds like a robotic drone flying nearby, when there isn’t one being flown, is a sign that you have a boiler pump that needs replacing. This can be caused by the boiler impeller having a buildup of debris or from a pump having a mechanical failure. If part of your boiler system is broken, it can have a domino effect of other system parts failing in sequence. Call one of our boiler service engineers to replace the pump for you. If the issue is severe enough, you may need to have your boiler replaced.

If your boiler is making vibrations sounds, there are many possibilities of what the cause could be. Vibration sounds can be caused by system settings or by the shaking casing inside of a malfunctioning pump. Another possible cause is sludge building up inside your boiler, which can lead to your boiler system overheating. This will need to be addressed by a professional immediately.

A tapping sound is another indication of kettling, most notably when heard while turning the boiler on. If you have blockages in your boiler system due to kettling, you will want to contact a service professional to clean and service your boiler system to remove any sludge or debris that is causing the kettling.

Hearing what sounds like bats or an unsettling violin performance from your boiler system is another likely sign that your system is kettling and will need to be cleaned by a boiler service professional.