Is It Spooky Spirits, or Does the Water Heater Need Repairs?

Heed These Ghostly Water Heater Noises

Unearthly water heater noises haunting the night? A home’s water heater should operate relatively quietly, with the occasional noise being no reason for concern. But when the noises become commonplace, homeowners shouldn’t wait to investigate spooky sounds from their water heater. The following three noises signal a water heater that needs to be visited by a qualified plumbing professional. 

Petrifying Popping 

Prepare for a water heater problem when popping begins. Popping sounds in the water heater are a sign that sediment and minerals have built up in the unit, creating a layer of debris above the water supply in the tank. Homes with a hard water source are more likely to experience popping noises as the minerals, sand, and other sediments in the water build-up over time.  

Mineral build-up spells trouble for the water heater. As sediment piles up in the water heater, water can trap beneath the sediment. As the water heater responds to heating demands for the house, this trapped water can boil over. Usually, the resulting steam escapes in small bursts through the sediment, creating the irritating popping noise. This produces excessive steam and builds up pressure in the water heater, resulting in an explosion of the unit in extreme cases.

Thankfully, this nightmare can be avoided by having yearly maintenance and flushing conducted by a qualified plumber on the home’s water heater. 

Spine-Chilling Screeching 

Screeching pipes are an audible sign of restricted water flow in the water heater and pipes. Without proper flow, water will force its way through smaller openings, creating the screeching sound echoing through the home. The culprit is usually a narrowed opening of the inlet control valve or sediment build up in the heater’s pipes. 

Similar to popping, homed with hard water or excessive debris will often experience more incidences of screeching. Most of the time, screeching can be resolved by cleaning any lime-scale or sediment build-up and opening the inlet valve entirely. They’re both easily fixed by a certified plumbing technician.

Creepy Crackling 

Crackling water heaters are a common creepy occurrence in the home. Thankfully, it is usually not a reason for extra concern. Gas burning water heaters can experience growth in condensation within the unit. The annoying crackling is usually solved by simply running the water heater, as the condensation will burn off as the unit remains on. However, if cackling occurs with other strange noises, a plumbing expert should be called in to investigate the cause. Excessive or continuous crackling may have an underlying cause only a professional can discern, like small leaks or failing burners struggling with condensation. 

There’s no need to deal with screeching, popping pipes. When a home’s pipes start to sound like a choir of ghosts, homeowners shouldn’t ignore it. Instead, they should call a plumbing expert to fix the problem. 

About Allore’s Plumbing Services LLC

Allore’s Plumbing Services LLC has been serving the Stuart, FL area for over thirty years. The team at Allore’s Plumbing Services LLC leads in the community of Stuart, FL with their client-focused, family-oriented approach in their work. They are devoted to bringing excellent water heater services to every client. 

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