Your water heater is likely in a closet or your garage. Because it is out of sight, you probably don’t give it much thought. That also means that you may not hear it if it ever makes unusual sounds. But if you do hear strange sounds coming from your water heater, it’s important to take it seriously.
In particular, when your water heater sounds like a tea kettle, you need to give our team a call to check it out. Unusual sounds indicate that something is going wrong. When you ignore unusual sounds, water heater problems can fester and get worse quickly. Learn more about unusual water heater sounds, what they mean, and what you can do about them.
Tea Kettle Sounds
If your water heater ever sounds like a tea kettle, it means that you have sediment built up inside of the tank. The sound is called kettling because it sounds like the high-pitched whistle a tea kettle would make when the water heats up. Something similar is happening inside your water heater, although a kettling sound in this instance is never a good sign.
Sediment builds up when you have hard water that is high in mineral content. You can’t see the minerals when you look at your water in a glass, but over time those minerals can build up to create a significant sediment layer. It settles in the bottom of your tank and blocks the heating element from effectively heating your tank’s water. When the heating element turns on it stirs up the sediment and makes it move around, even increasing the pressure inside of your water tank.
Addressing Kettling Sounds
The good news is, you can fix the problem of sediment buildup quickly and easily. Our team just needs to flush out your system to remove the buildup. Keep in mind that if you don’t address hard water at the source (your water supply) then the sediment will only continue to collect again over the coming months. You may have to invest in a water tank flushing annually.
Keep in mind that sediment build-up can cause your water heater to corrode over time. So it’s not just an inconvenience, it can also cost you. If your water heater corrodes and develops rust, you may have to replace it sooner. Even an annual system plush can’t prevent corrosion completely.
You can also invest in a water-softening system to prevent hard water minerals from ever entering your home. It’s a great way to protect your water heater and also protect the rest of your home’s water-related appliances at the same time. Mineral buildup doesn’t just create an annoying sound in your water heater. It can also damage your home’s entire plumbing system slowly over time due to friction. If your water tank and other lumping systems corrode, you may have to replace them sooner rather than later.
Contact Affinity Gas Services today to schedule an appointment with our professionals. We’re “The Gas Efficiency Experts.”