I am a complete novice about plumbing so apologies in advance. Basically I have noticed that, when my central heating warms up I hear what sounds like a dripping noise in the ceiling. This seems to start slow, speed up then slow down. After a few seconds it will start again and so on, as long as the central heating is on. Once I switch off the heating it takes about half an hour for this dripping noise to stop completely. Is this likely to be a leak or is there another explanation?
Plumbing – dripping sound in ceiling when central heating gets warm
central-heatingplumbing
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Best Answer
If it has been happening for more than a week and there is no sign of water, like a discoloured or damp patch on the ceiling or wall, then no.
When pipes heat up, they expand, as they expand they rub against the woodwork or other material they are fixed to. Frctional forces cause the pipe to be trapped until accumulated expansion pressure is enough to overcome friction momentarily. This produces a series of annoying but harmless clicks, taps, knocks or bangs.