WHY do heaters on campus clank?

[Keego]

Every day in one class the heater starts up, it's freaking annoying all that clank clank action. WTF 😛

It's a hot water heater, that's all I can tell you. Expanding metal? doesn't seem really plausable.

 

[IEatChildren]

That's a plumbing problem where the end caps on the pipes aren't buffered with air so water hits the end of the pipe and causes the clanking sound.

 

[RU482]

Aghhh, I hate that. My elementary and middle school buildings were really old and did that too.

I also stayed in a house once that did that. Wound up there was air in the line going to the baseboard heat.

 

[Antisocial Virge]

Originally posted by: Keego
Every day in one class the heater starts up, it's freaking annoying all that clank clank action. WTF 😛

It's a hot water heater, that's all I can tell you. Expanding metal? doesn't seem really plausable.

Our reactors at work make lots of racket when the switch from cooling to heating when the steam hits it. Its from the metal freaking out in our situation.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: IEatChildren
That's a plumbing problem where the end caps on the pipes aren't buffered with air so water hits the end of the pipe and causes the clanking sound.

The hell are you talkin' about? 😕

My guess would be expanding/contracting metal.

 

[Colt45]

I always accepted the fact that the occasional clank severely owns -40c.

 

[faZZter]

It is probably "steam hammer." The noise is created by condensed steam being slammed around in the pipes by the steam in the system. I work at a refinery and we hear that sort of stuff all the time. It can be extremely loud sometimes. It can damage pipes in some situations.

 

[Confused]

It's the midgets that are locked up in the basement hitting the pipes with tiny hammers, trying to get your attention so that you can go and rescue them.