skip to main content

Heating & Air Conditioning Plumbing

My new hot water heater has been making popcorn sounds

3 years ago

I had a new gas hot water heater installed last December and soon after I started noticing an occasional popcorn sound from it. I did some googling with the word 'popping' sound and found an explanation that it could be the tank expanding into the insulation. The popping noise has gotten worse recently, and when I google with the word 'popcorn', which is a better description of what I'm hearing, everything points to a sediment layer. Is it possible that I got enough sediment to cause noise that quickly? I never had any noise from he previous one. Is it possible the noise really is just to be expected?

Thanks

Comments (4)

sktn77a
3 years ago
Call the manufacturer with the serial number of the heater and ask them if it came with an aluminum or magnesium anode rod(s). Aluminum hydroxide on the anode rods (corrosion) causes this popping sound. It's less common with magnesium anode rods.

My two new water heaters did this. I think it might be the manufacturing standards going down the crapper that causes all these issues with newer equipment that we never had with the old ones!
Mike
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks sktn77a - did you have to do any maintenance on your water heaters because of this?
Related Discussions
How do I flush my hot water heater
Q
Comments (3)
There is a faucet-like valve on the bottom that takes a standard garden hose. Attach hose, open valve, let several gallons of gunky water out. Also look into "sacrificial anode" for it.
...See More
Hot Water Heater making scalding water
Q
Comments (2)
huh? Machine? Model and Brand please. What is it? Tank water heater how many gallons? Tankless? Gas or Electric? How old? You have a thermostat problem that needs to be addressed promptly. 120F should be the set point of your hot water. I suggest you call a plumber. Then you can decide if it is worth the cost to fix or is it best to replace?
...See More
Sound of water leaking + hot water coming from cold water side
Q
Comments (2)
Only happening with one bathroom sink, no hot water in toilet tank or bathtub cold faucet or kitchen sink? In large buildings hot water pressure is kept slightly higher than cold so that problems like this can be detected and fixed quickly because of costs involved in hot water loss. Ask your manager if the hot water system pressure was worked on or any new single lever sink faucets installed anywhere at the time your problem started. At a guess the water flow you hear is not an external leak but some sort of cross connect fault that is then slowly dumping through a leaking toilet tank or perhaps some system valve that isn't tightly shut. If this problem is stumping the person hired to fix it, your condo is not hiring very competent people.
...See More
new hot water heater not working
Q
Comments (4)
Given enough time, "the right voltage" is irrelevant - the house I'm moving to has a 240V water heater and not a single double-pole breaker in the entire panel. It works. I figure I'll manage to live there no more than a week before I rip that apart and figure out what's going on. No white wires on any breakers either, and no 3-conductor cables. ANYWAY Just one more thing to check, bmans05: on the top thermostat (where the line terminals are), there's probably a red button, 'bout a half inch in diameter, possibly labeled "RESET" or something like that. Press it.
...See More
deserthawk
3 years ago
quite obviously, you need another appliance with butter sounds . . .

:)

but, yes. I know how disconcerting this can be be.

When I got to grad school, my family and I were temporarily housed in honest-to-goodness quonset huts, temporary GI housing from 50 years earlier.

One of the two-dozen work orders we had to submit was "hot water heater percolates."

Seriously, it sounded like an old coffee pot. And it was int he living room.

It seems that over decades, the lime builds up into limestones, and the gas from the water boiling lifts them up. As they get to the top, it is released into the air, and they rattle as they tumble down the side . . .

appliances should be seen and not heard , , ,
Tmnca
3 years ago
We have the same issue but our heater is not so new, we do have very hard water. The popping is getting louder all the time and we can hear it clearly from the garage. I thought it needs flushing (for sediment) but I’m glad I checked this thread as it might be corrosion on the rods. We had the house re-piped in copper (previous pipes were galvanized and corroded) and I have learned since that copper pipes can cause some metallic reactions with other fittings.

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING 13 New Ways to Make a Splash With a Hot Tub

By Amber Hopman

Check out the modern options and custom features that are making outdoor spa tubs hot again

GREAT HOME PROJECTS How to Switch to a Tankless Water Heater

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

New project for a new year: Swap your conventional heater for an energy-saving model — and don’t be fooled by misinformation

GREAT HOME PROJECTS How to Add a Solar Water Heater

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

Lower energy bills without a major renovation by putting the sun to work heating your home’s water

WOOD Knotty and Nice: Highly Textured Wood Has a Modern Revival

By Mary Jo Bowling

Whether it's cedar, fir or pine, if a wood has a knot, it's hot

SAVING WATER Xeriscape Gardens: How to Get a Beautiful Landscape With Less Water

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Conserve water and make gardening much easier with the xeriscape approach’s 7 principles

KITCHEN DESIGN Hot-Drink Stations Hit the Spot

By Amber Hopman

Beverage bars brimming with cocoa, tea, coffee and all the accoutrements make winter entertaining a delight

MOST POPULAR So You Say: 30 Design Mistakes You Should Never Make

By Mitchell Parker

Drop the paint can, step away from the brick and read this remodeling advice from people who’ve been there

FEEL-GOOD HOME What Really Makes Us Happy at Home? Find Out From a New Houzz Survey

By Mitchell Parker

Great design has a powerful impact on our happiness in our homes. So do good cooking smells, family conversations and, yes, big-screen TVs

GARDENING GUIDES Make Your Garden a Haven for Backyard Birds

By Lauren Dunec Hoang

Create a bird-friendly habitat in your yard with food, water and shelter

LANDSCAPE DESIGN How to Introduce a Water Feature to Your Garden

By Patricia Tyrrell Living Landscapes

With its sound, movement and ever-changing reflections, water brings vitality to an outdoor space

Sponsored

More Discussions

Installing a AC into a sleeve question

3

Skylight - light benefit vs. heat

19

Bryant vs Goodman vs Ruud

10

Installing a powder room on main floor with hydronic radiant heat theo

3

Cooling Mini Splits

31