# Knocking and ticking from my baseboard job.



## vinpadalino (Aug 27, 2010)

Finished up a basement heat job. I tested it out and the pipes knock and ticking a bit. I ran pex and strapped to the the beams with plastic hanger with the nail in it. Not a good idea, I will never use those hangers on heat pex again. I heard a while back they have a copper fitting that expands when heated up to help with this problem, anyone now what it's called?


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## ZL700 (Dec 8, 2009)

Copper expansion coupling

How will that help you pex though? 

Many things cause excessive noise, most commonly not enough room for the copper to grow by not leaving large enough wall penetrations at the baseboard ends, also long runs, excessive zone GPM, entrained air, lack of nylon slides between fin and guides and a few more.


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## vinpadalino (Aug 27, 2010)

ZL700 said:


> Copper expansion coupling
> 
> How will that help you pex though?
> 
> Many things cause excessive noise, most commonly not enough room for the copper to grow by not leaving large enough wall penetrations at the baseboard ends, also long runs, excessive zone GPM, entrained air, lack of nylon slides between fin and guides and a few more.


It probably wont because I strapped the heat pex right to the beams. I'm not ripping Sheetrock down there going to have to live with it.


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## breid1903 (Feb 8, 2009)

sure glad i don't live in paradise. breid...........:rockon:


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

Nice.... "I screwed up, heck with 'em they'll have to live with it" 

BRAVO!! .............NOT :no:


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## vinpadalino (Aug 27, 2010)

Pipe Rat said:


> Nice.... "I screwed up, heck with 'em they'll have to live with it"
> 
> BRAVO!! .............NOT :no:[/QUOT
> 
> My pipes tick a bit too. It's not life threating!


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## plumber666 (Sep 19, 2010)

Hey it only leaks a little bit, it's not like it's gonna kill you or anything.....


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## breid1903 (Feb 8, 2009)

*vinny*

how many of these have you installed? read your profile. says plumbing hvac. i don't know buddy. read the bible, too. not sayin nuthin here, just askin, just askin. breid..................:rockon:


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## vinpadalino (Aug 27, 2010)

breid1903 said:


> how many of these have you installed? read your profile. says plumbing hvac. i don't know buddy. read the bible, too. not sayin nuthin here, just askin, just askin. breid..................:rockon:


Thanks for you concerned. Stopped by the job today and they absolutely love it. Forgot to mention did the job for free. Guess the noise isn't a problem.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

vinpadalino said:


> Stopped by the job today and they absolutely love it. *Forgot to mention did the job for free.* Guess the noise isn't a problem.


Yea I guess there would be no complaints then...:blink:

Is this a hobby for you? :whistling2:

I was just going to say that if they did complain you should just tell them that the noise is there to comfort them when they are cold...

They just hear the ticking noise and they know they will be warming up soon....:laughing:

But that "Free" comment took all the wind out of my sails... Please elaborate!:whistling2:


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

My pipes tick a bit too. It's not life threating![/QUOTE]

This may be sig material.


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## ZL700 (Dec 8, 2009)

Airgap said:


> My pipes tick a bit too. It's not life threating!


This may be sig material.[/QUOTE]

It's been explained way before that nerd came along.


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## vinpadalino (Aug 27, 2010)

Redwood said:


> Yea I guess there would be no complaints then...:blink:
> 
> Is this a hobby for you? :whistling2:
> 
> ...


A good friend of mine. Or was anyway lol. But seriously I will be using different straps next time and arm-flex.


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## hydronicsbob (Oct 6, 2010)

*pex expansion*

For your future reference:

Pex can expand quite a bit when it goes from ambient temp. to 140 deg. F or higher. (approx. thermal linear expansion for PEX is 1.1 inches per 10deg per 100 ft.) it is hard to control that much expansion, the best way is to reduce the water temp. (if you can).

Some of the strategies to reduce the big temp. change (to reduce the amount of expansion) would be:

http://www.tekmarcontrols.com/literature/acrobat/e004.pdf

1. if the baseboard was existing, do a heatloss and see what temperatures you need to heat the area adequately and utilize a outdoor reset control or lower your temperatures (be careful with a non-condensing boiler - make sure you have the 130-140 deg. F returning water to keep the exhaust gas from condensing)


2. use constant circulation with a outdoor reset control that would "inject" heat as needed.


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## Ishmael (Dec 9, 2009)

You can also leave an expansion loop in each pex run.


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

vinpadalino said:


> A good friend of mine.* Or was anyway* lol. But seriously I will be using different straps next time and arm-flex.


Anything to do with ticking pipes maybe? :whistling2:


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## sigshooter71 (Dec 8, 2010)

If you put the pex against the joists the tubing bends in and can squeek. Put it so the it cant get pressure on it if you know what i mean. Let the pipe move a little or it makes s's


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