I've been trying to track down some very annoying 'ticking' sounds that happen within seconds of the central heating coming on. I know that it likely to do with copper central heating pipes under the floorboards being incorrectly held in place (e.g. too tight against a joist).
I have, I think, narrowed it down to where a single pipe passes under an internal wall. Taking floorboards up either side of the wall has allowed me to hear the ticking each side as if coming from the other side of the wall.
I noticed that the hot water pipe (15mm) is held firmly by mortar between the bricks of the internal wall. Is that standard practice or is it bad? Could it really be causing the ticking sound? (If so, how come copper hot water pipes can be laid under concrete and not tick?)
I have all the floorboards up at the moment so I really need a quick sanity check from someone knowledgeable!
Best Answer
That could definitely be causing a ticking sound if the pipe is moving it will clink against the mortar and possibly loud enough to hear.
There is nothing wrong with having mortar around it other than a PITA if you need to replace it. What you need to do is make sure that the pipe is secure as possible (tie-downs, clamps, whatever) on each side. You could also try wrapping the pipe in cloth to reduce sound or if you have a gap to hit it with spray foam.