As a leading boiler company operating across Bristol, we often get customers contacting us because their system is making strange noises. Particularly in the height of winter, when you need your heating the most, this can be a worrying. You don’t want your boiler to break down and leave you and your family in the cold.
What is boiler kettling?
This is when your boiler starts making a noise similar to your kettle coming to the boil. It’s as simple as that. If your system is making any unusual noise, however, you should always contact your boiler repair team.
Kettling is caused because of two main issues; it’s either a mechanical or a chemical problem with your boiler system.
Limescale and kettling
If you live in Bristol, you are essentially in a hard water area. Boilers work by heating water through a device called a heat exchanger. Hard water contains substances such as calcium salts that can build up over time and cause blockages – what most of us know as limescale.
Obviously, if these salts settle in your boiler they can start to clog it up, making the passage of water more difficult. If water can’t get through your heat exchanger properly because of this build up of salts, it will begin to overheat and this then causes the kettling noise.
Causes of boiler kettling
While hard water is probably the main cause of kettling in your boiler, particularly if you live in Bristol, it’s by no means the only one.
There may be problems with the boiler itself, certainly if it’s an older model or the installation hasn’t been carried out properly in the first place. If you have thermostat radiator valves installed, it can cause the system to cycle too quickly. There can be problems if you have the wrong vent pipes fitted or if there is an issue with the flow rate for your boiler. Gas burner pressure and even casting faults can also have detrimental effects. Any situation where there is a build of excessive heat, it can cause your system to work less efficiently and make strange noises.
Washing up liquid and boiler kettling
One often repeated mistake is to introduce washing up liquid into the boiler pipes – something that has thankfully gone out of fashion in recent times. Anything that creates foaming will not only make the kettling worse it can actually seriously damage your boiler more. If anyone advises you to try this to cut down the noise, please ignore them. It’s much better to call out a qualified heating engineer.
What to do if your boiler makes kettling noises
First of all, don’t panic. Kettling doesn’t mean that your system is going to break down immediately though it is fairly urgent. What you need to do is get in touch with a Bristol boiler company like DHS as soon as possible. Diagnosing the problem is key and you need a fully qualified boiler engineer who knows what they are doing to handle it.
If your system is making kettling noises or you want to know more about boiler repairs in Bristol then look no further. DHS provide a professional and high quality service, with over 40 years of experience with installing and repairing boilers in Bristol.
Call DHS today on 0117 924 7200, email us, or request a call back.
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