Strange noises from a water heater

[shmokes]

My brother's water heater makes a noise, particularly when someone is using hot water, that sounds like someone is rolling up a sheet of bubble wrap inside the tank.  It's an echoey pop-pop-pop.  Really strange and pretty loud.  Anybody have an idea what would cause this?  I have this crazy idea in my head that water is boiling in there and making the water heater a giant pipe bomb.   

[ChadTower]

The pressure valve should save you from it being a bomb.  He should test that valve, though, as they do fail.  They're supposed to fail open but you never know...

[DaOld Man]

Sounds like the bottom element is covered with mineral deposits.
Turn off power supply, allow to cool down. Turn off water supply. Drain water through drain valve (looks like a faucet) and garden hose to outside or drain area. (Open kitchen hot faucet to allow air in to tank to speed up draining.)
Remove bottom element, insert hose from wet/dry vac and suck out the deposits. (Using a wet/dry vac, not what you are probably thinking.)
This can be a messy job, plastic sheet or pans can be a nice thing to have.
Get out all the gunk you can, re-install element (may need a new rubber gasket), close water drain valve, open water supply, allow tank to fully fill (open hot water faucet in kitchen or bath to let air out), then turn power back on.

If it's a gas water heater, then Im not sure how to clean it, look for a drain plug on the bottom of the tank.

[MonMotha]

Second DaOld Man.  If you get just a little hot water then it's cold again, that's another telltale sign of this problem.  The deposits mess with the thermostat readings and cause excessive cycling as well as premature shut-off of the heating element.  Basically, only the top element runs.

As a general maintenance practice, you should drain a couple gallons off the bottom every few months using the drain valve at the bottom.  That helps remove settled crud from the water before it can "stick" to much.

Note that water heaters make a muffled popping noise during normal operations due to the rapidly changing water temperatures combined with the internal temperature gradient.  Nothing to be concerned over.

[SavannahLion]

Water heaters can indeed become bombs, but not like a pipe bomb, they're more like exploding rockets. The damn things shoot up in the air blasting through any floors between it and the sky. If the house doesn't turn into splinters, there's usually a gaping hole where the water heater exited the home.

What's funny is that people today don't believe that that sort of thing happens and the "myth" was actually a featured in Mythbusters.

Here's an old video from sometime in the early 40's that illustrates how bad it was back then.

[MonMotha]

To be fair, the Mythbusters had to defeat several safety mechanisms to make that happen on a modern unit...

[shmokes]

Hmm, it's in a rental, so i doubt he'll go through all that.  At least it sounds like it's not dangerous.

[J_K_M_A_N]

Ours has been doing that for a long time. I call it our popcorn machine. I'm sure it is not good for the bottom as it gets heated probably more than it should. (Ours is gas) You may want to be careful if you try and drain it some. I have heard of it clogging the drain valve and they won't close all the way after that. Then it drips for a while. Same thing with testing the relief valve. Things can get caught. Usually fairly easy to get those unclogged though. If not, either part is not very expensive. I believe you can drain the water on a gas unit and then take the drain valve off and put a wire hanger in there to loosen it some. Then try the wet vac. It should get more out but you have to be careful not to put a hole in the bottom.

I have a new one. I just need to put it in. One of these days...

J_K_M_A_N

[RayB]

Hmm, it's in a rental, so i doubt he'll go through all that.  At least it sounds like it's not dangerous.

How old? Companies that rent water heaters will replace them for free when they are around 12 or 13 years old.

[Hoopz]

I just replaced my water heater last year.  We had a great deal of buildup in our old unit and I would drain it at least once a year.  The issue I had though was that the sediment pieces were too large to drain out.  I couldn't get my shop vac hose in the unit because the drain hole was too small and the hole where the element goes in was much higher than where the sediment was.  I could some out of the element hole but not a lot. 

The key really is draining it on a regular basis so that the calcium buildup is flushed out before it gets too big or too much. 

Hmm, it's in a rental, so i doubt he'll go through all that.  At least it sounds like it's not dangerous.

Rental house/apartment or rental hot water heater?

[shmokes]

Rental apt.  It didn't even occur to me that you could rent a water heater, but I suppose you can rent anything.

[RayB]

I misread.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

How about setting up some stereo microphones around it and recording a few minutes of samples?

[Howard_Casto]

Electric or gas schmokes?  If it's electric then it's what the others are saying.  While it isn't a dangerous problem it is a serious one.  Mineral deposits will cause the heating element to burn out and one day he'll wake up without hot water.  It would be best to go ahead and replace the element or have the super replace it.  The things cost practically nothing, the only chore comes from emptying the tank. 

If it's gas then the problem is probably a leaky exhaust pipe.  Rain from outside can collect inside the exhaust pipe and when the heater gets going it can make one hell of a racket as the drops evaporate and re-collect... dropping right into the center of the tank.  The solution to this one is to get up on the roof and check for leaks.

[DaOld Man]

If I were renting the place, I would insist that the water heater be replaced.
The sacrificial anode rod is probably gone too.
http://www.plumbingstore.com/sacrificial_rods.html

[SavannahLion]

To be fair, the Mythbusters had to defeat several safety mechanisms to make that happen on a modern unit...

Yeah, I know. My point was is that people don't believe that it can happen. A lot of people don't realize that there are numerous safety mechanisms for that reason (I myself only knew of one, the relief valve.).

[eds1275]

We [fiance and I, that is] had an oil-fired water heater burst 2 years ago at christmas. Besides destroying some new renovations I had just done, we ran out of oil - so we had to make a hard choice. Spend money for oil, allowing us to heat out home in these wintery months - or - get an electric water tank and have hot showers.

It was february when we got an electric tank, and we had icy showers for just over a month. In the may we got a top of the line heat pump. Best purchase ever.

I would tell him to get it looked at, water damage is a PITA

[shmokes]

I would tell him to get it looked at, water damage is a PITA

Rental.  PITA for the landlord.

[ChadTower]

I would tell him to get it looked at, water damage is a PITA

Rental.  PITA for the landlord.

Rental.  PITA for the tenant to find a place to stay while the flood damage is repaired.  Been there, living in a cheapass motel while they tear out the rugs or replace all the flooring is annoying.

[eds1275]

I would tell him to get it looked at, water damage is a PITA

Rental.  PITA for the landlord.

Not if it ruins your stuff! Then it becomes your problem!

[shmokes]

It's fine.  A #1 it doesn't sound like the type of problem that is going to have pipes spraying water all over the place.  If the water heater breaks it'll probably just stop heating water properly, not explode.  B #2, it happens to be in a closet off of a typically empty guest bedroom, so even if it floods, it's not that likely to damage my brother's stuff.

[ChadTower]

All it has to do is give way from the bottom of the tank to do a lot of damage.  Leaks are just as damaging as sprays.

[shmokes]

Any tank water heater can give way at the bottom.  From what I'm reading in this thread the sounds my brother's water heater is making don't indicate an imminent bottom-of-the-tank failure.  Anyway, like I said, it's in a closet of a bedroom that is entirely devoid of my brother's stuff, so even if that happens it's probably not going to be a huge deal for him.  Maybe my brother should start carrying pepper spray too and also glow sticks and those little chemical hand-warming things.  Cos you never know what might happen. 

[Hoopz]

Any tank water heater can give way at the bottom.  From what I'm reading in this thread the sounds my brother's water heater is making don't indicate an imminent bottom-of-the-tank failure.  Anyway, like I said, it's in a closet of a bedroom that is entirely devoid of my brother's stuff, so even if that happens it's probably not going to be a huge deal for him.  Maybe my brother should start carrying pepper spray too and also glow sticks and those little chemical hand-warming things.  Cos you never know what might happen. 

Lawyers must not take classes on risk management.   

Seriously, he should at least tell the landlord so that they can decide whether to inspect it or not. 

[CCM]

Any tank water heater can give way at the bottom.  From what I'm reading in this thread the sounds my brother's water heater is making don't indicate an imminent bottom-of-the-tank failure.  Anyway, like I said, it's in a closet of a bedroom that is entirely devoid of my brother's stuff, so even if that happens it's probably not going to be a huge deal for him. 

Right, because 30+ gallons of water rushing out of the tank won't be a big deal... it will all stay contained in that bathroom closet.   

[shmokes]

LMAO . . . you guys are so serious.  The landlord knows.  He lives upstairs.  And presumably the 30 gallons of water will spill out of the tank and out of the closet all over the typically empty room that has none of my brother's stuff in it.  Except it won't cos there's no reason to think that this water heater is in any more danger of leaking vs. any other water heater.  So dramatic.