There are some systems in your home you could not imagine going for one day without. And for most homeowners, the hot water heater is one of those systems. You may become alarmed when you find out that your water heater is not functioning properly, because you don’t want to have to suffer through a shower with no hot water. But rumbling noises from the water heater may have little effect on the way your unit works—for now.
Rumbling noises are often a result of hard water
When people describe a rumbling or banging noise in their hot water tanks, we often find that it is due to sediment building up in the tank. Hard water is a common problem in our area, and it can affect your plumbing system in various ways.
The minerals in hard water (calcium and magnesium, for example), may get left behind in the storage tank or in your pipes. They settle at the bottom of your tank, and the noise you hear is the result of steam bubbles attempting to rise past the layer of sediment, or scaling.
This can develop into a major problem
For now, your water heater may function just fine. The small amount of scaling in the tank has little or no impact on how hot your water gets. So why should you rush to have someone take care of the problem now?
A water heater specialist can flush your tank, but once the scale builds up too much, it may become difficult for the minerals to evacuate the tank. Eventually, the water heater tank may overheat and deteriorate, which may lead to leaks. And high pressure levels may force the unit to shut down. Additionally, you use a lot more fuel than you need to, which raises your bills!
Call Bartels Heating & Cooling for water heater services from people you can trust in Fairfield or a surrounding area.