Why Does My Hot Water Heater Make A Thumping Noise?
It’s about 8 years old and every so often it thumps. I hope it’s not about to crap out.
PS. I’ve been in the house for 3 years and it just started doing this.
It’s about 8 years old and every so often it thumps. I hope it’s not about to crap out.
PS. I’ve been in the house for 3 years and it just started doing this.
February 1, 2010 @ 4:09 pm
As water heaters age, particularly in areas where there is hard water, calcium carbonate can precipitate out and settle to the bottom of the heater in the form of sediment.
As the burners heat the bottom of the tank, steam bubbles form under the sediment just as they do in a pot on your kitchen stove. The steam bubbles escaping from under the sediment create the thumping and popping noises you sometimes hear coming from your water heater.
This build up of sediment can also reduce the efficiency of your water heater and reduce its holding capacity. Regular flushing of the water heater through the drain valve can help prevent sediment build up. Sediment reduces the efficiency of the water heater and may clog pumps and valves elsewhere in the system.
Condensation often occurs on water heaters when a large hot water draw occurs and a large amount of cold water enters the water heater. Sometimes this condensation can be mistaken for a leak in the tank. In addition, this condensation can collect at the bottom of the heater and drip onto the hot burner, causing a sizzling noise. This is not generally harmful
February 1, 2010 @ 7:50 pm
Your plumbing did a back wash, and now the Tidy Bowl Man is stuck on the inside: And here you’ve been wondering why you haven’t seen him lately.
February 1, 2010 @ 9:13 pm
A family of opossums have moved into your hot water heater, so by now im sure that one or two of them have died, that thumping noise is them trying to escape from the horible odor. Go and smell your hot water heater now.
February 1, 2010 @ 10:30 pm
sounds like its got air in the tank you might try draining it out and at the same time bleeding the air out of it
February 2, 2010 @ 2:42 am
Thumping comes from when hot and cold meet
February 2, 2010 @ 4:52 am
Needs to be drained of calcium buildup.
February 2, 2010 @ 5:12 am
you could have air in the tank, but there are other things it could be too. Check for any water in the burner compartment if it’s a gas unit, on the floor if it’s electric
February 2, 2010 @ 11:46 am
Don’t worry about it. It’s probably made by State. It might not say State but still made by State. It’s an expansion noise and only occurs when the electric element cycles on or when the burner comes on if gas. It usually only does it once.
February 2, 2010 @ 4:44 pm
Dunno. Check the manual. Could be just time for a New one!
February 2, 2010 @ 11:14 pm
mineral buildup in the tank and on the heating elements.
Drain and clean your tank, clean out the mineral buildup and put in new heating elements (assuming it is electric) or spring for a new heater.
If gas…call a plumber.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Leave a comment