Why is my Water Heater Popping? 

Have you ever been confused by the muffled knocking and popping that occasionally comes from a water heater?  Sometimes they are rather faint noises but other times can be downright startling. This can occur from excess sediment build-up in the bottom of your water heater. However, it’s not the sediment that makes the noise, it is rapidly escaping air bubbles from underneath the sediment that makes all the racket.  

As sediment builds up at the bottom of a gas heater or over the heating element in an electric unit it temporarily traps air bubbles. These air bubbles occur when the water starts to boil. The bubbles trapped under the sediment build until they suddenly slip through. This quick release of air as the bubble races to the top of the heater is what makes the noise.     

Flushing a water heater once  a year will keep the scale and minerals at bay. If you live in an area of hard water like Beavercreek OH for instance, you’ll probably need to do it twice a year. Real estate buyers always seem to ask the age of things like the water heater so keeping it in good working order is important to your sale. Just reach out if you have any real estate related questions. 

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