What’s Causing the Strange Noise in Your Water Heater?

3/23/2020 (Permalink)

A water heater flush annually is all the maintenance the unit usually requires

Your water heater is an integral part of your home. Like the rest of the house, it needs periodic maintenance to keep it functioning efficiently and to prevent leaks. The single most important action you can take is to flush it once yearly. This can extend the life of the unit substantially.

What Sort of Noises Are Normal for a Water Heater?

There are a few sounds that either mean the unit is working correctly, or are of no significant concern:

• Humming
  
• Ticking or tapping sounds
  
• Light knocking when you turn off the hot water
  
  

Humming is caused by flowing water around a slightly loose element. If it gets louder, you should have it tightened, but otherwise it’s not a big problem. A tapping sound is usually associated with a water check valve and is no problem for proper functioning, although if you find it personally annoying you can have it replaced with a different valve.
A knocking sound when you shut off the hot water is caused by the external piping shaking. If the sound is substantial like a loud hammering, you should have a water hammer arrestor installed.

What Sounds Are Signs of Trouble?

The most common problematic sounds are a popping, crackling or gurgling sound. This is caused by a build-up of minerals on the element or sediment at the bottom of the tank. Water is being forced to move around the substances coating the heating element, creating the rushing or gurgling sound. The popping and crackling may also be caused by sediment being disturbed at the bottom.

How Do You Fix It?

Simple! A water heater flush annually is all the maintenance the unit usually requires. Turn off the heater and water supply to it, run a hose outside and make sure the hose is tightly connected with no leaks. Open the pressure relief valve and a hot water tap and let it run fully out.
If a water heater leak has caused damage in Greene County, TN, call a professional restoration company to fix it before wood rot sets in. SERVPRO will make it “Like it never even happened.”