If you have a water heater, it’s going to make some sounds while it operates. While most of the sounds are quiet, your water heater will never be completely silent. With this in mind, you should also never hear loud or surprising sounds coming from your water heater. No matter how big or small your water heater is, there should never be rumbling.
If your water heater does begin to rumble, it’s time for a water heater check-up. Our team can come out and determine the cause of the sound as well as fix it to prevent any future damage. If your hot water tank in Chestermere is making unusual sounds, give us a call. In the meantime, keep reading to learn more about why your water heater might be rumbling so that you understand what’s going on.
Water Heater Sounds to Address ASAP
Rumbling isn’t the only sound that your water heater may make. If you would categorize a sound as loud, surprising, or alarming, then it’s a problem. There is no reason for your water heater to make obnoxious noises.
Rumbling
One of the most common sounds that a water heater can make is rumbling. When the water begins to heat up is when you’ll usually hear a rumbling noise. If you hear it all the time, you may grow accustomed to it. But that doesn’t mean it’s a normal sound.
If your home has hard water, that means that it has high mineral content. When you run water in the sink, you don’t see these minerals because they are so tiny. But over time they can build up in your water tank and create sediment build-up on the bottom. This sediment can shift around when the heating elements activate to heat the water in your home. Thankfully, addressing rumbling is a fairly easy process. Our team just needs to flush out your system to remove the sediment.
Keep in mind that hard water will continue to run through your water tank, and the sediment will continue to build up in the future. You may need to schedule an annual flush of your water heater to prevent rumbling. You may not think that the sediment is a big deal, but it can prevent your water from heating properly, and can also do a lot of damage to the inside of your storage tank.
Kettling
Kettling sounds get their name from the high-pitched whistle that they make, similar to a tea kettle. Any high-pitched whistling or kettling sound indicates that water flow is somehow restricted.
Crackling
This is something you need to pay attention to if you have a gas-powered hot water system. Crackling noises happen when you have condensation on your gas burners. You may think this sounds similar to if you are cooking with hot oil on your stove and you put water in the pan. Not only is this bad for your gas burners, but it can also pose hazards for your home.
Other Signs of Water Heater Problems
Of course, you may see other signs before your water heater ever begins rumbling or other noises. If you notice that you have low water pressure specifically when you use hot water, your hot water tank may be to blame. The same hard water creating sediment buildup on the bottom of your tank can also create scaling on the pipes that leave your water tank and enter your home. Over time, the scaling builds up and blocks water flow.
You may also have a leak around your water tank. Sometimes a leak can occur before you ever hear anything unusual. Or maybe your water looks rusty and color when you turn on the hot water in particular. This could mean that your water heater is corroding from the inside, and needs to be replaced.
Contact Ace Plumbing and Heating today to schedule an appointment for your plumbing needs. Happy Today or You Don’t Pay!