LESLIE: Sally in New York is dealing with some noisy pipes with the heating. What can we do for you?
SALLY: Well, hi. When my heat comes up automatically in the morning, and also sometimes in the afternoon if the oil burner goes back on, I hear a lot of creaking and booms and everything. I have copper pipes in the basement and I wonder – I don’t heat my basement. Should I turn the heat up in the basement?
TOM: Not necessarily. What you’re explaining here, Sally, is normal expansion of the pipes as they heat up. Now, it might be that the pipes are a little looser than we’d like them to be against the wood framing and so you’re hearing a little bit more drama there than you’d, perhaps, typically would. But it’s not indicative of any kind of a problem; it’s very, very common for hot-water heating systems to have a little personality to them as they go about their job.
LESLIE: I like that: personality.
TOM: Yeah.
SALLY: So I have to be aware of it. I wasn’t really aware of it until a friend stayed overnight and she said, “Wow, your heat’s noisy when it comes up in the morning.”
TOM: Yeah, well, you know why? Because you probably – you totally tuned it out.
SALLY: Yes, I’m used to it.
TOM: Yeah. Nothing to worry about there, Sally.
SALLY: And nothing I can do about it?
TOM: Well, there are some things you can do about it but you’re going to be kind of chasing ghosts here, I think.
SALLY: Oh, OK. Well, thank you very much and I love your program.
TOM: Alright, Sally. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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