A homeowner posted a question on The Wall at HeatingHelp.com about a drumroll sound that was coming from his brand-new steam boiler. What could it be? He included a video so all could hear, and sure enough, it sounded like a snare drum.
“The sound is radiating from the vent ducting, which goes up the chimney,” he wrote. “I can’t say for sure which direction it’s coming from (the boiler or the chimney), but I’d still guess the boiler. I held my hand on the damper shaft and the vibration doesn’t seem to be coming from that. I recorded this sound right after the boiler ran and the steam pipes were cool to the touch.”