Generally, people have a wrong perception about tankless water heaters that they don’t make noise. But, when they hear any noise or unusual sound from the water heater, it panics them. People tend to look for solutions of queries like how to reduce noise from tankless water heater and what causes noise in a tankless water heater?
No matter what information or image one has about tankless water heaters. It is quite normal that tankless water heaters can make various weird noises. So, it is not often a thing to worry about.
Even though the noise from the tankless water heater is not a matter of concern. It may be disturbing and annoying at times.
Therefore, if you encounter any noise from your tankless water heater, you must first check the noise level. You can even use a decibel meter or an app known as Sound Level to find out the amount of noise your water heater is making normally. The sound from the water heater is less than 90 decibels.
Even though some noises from the tankless water heaters cannot be a sign of any underlying problem. It would be better if you could find out the reason behind those noises and try to fix it before it creates some issues in real.
Some ordinary practices for cleansing the tankless water heater system include vinegar, tightening the loose parts, or ensuring that the water inlet and outlet valves are completely opened.
These practices are good solutions for answering how to reduce noise from tankless water heaters at home. These practices will save you from spending on professional plumbers as anyone can do them without experience.
Here in this article, we will be discussing such problems related to noise from the tankless water heaters, and methods to resolve them.
Identify Noise Sources Before Enquiring How To Reduce Noise From Tankless Water Heater
Before jumping to conclusions about noises from your tankless water heater and looking for solutions to fix them. Identify the source of noise or sound by examining the water heater. In simple words, identify the location from where the sound is arising, then make any decision to reduce or fix it.
(Normally, A Tankless Water Heaters Produce Weird Noises For The Following Reasons)
Unfastened parts, Water flow restriction, Residue deposition, Fluctuations in water pressure, or Vibrations; anyone can cause noise in the tankless water heater.
Thus, before you rush to find a solution for reducing noise from your tankless water heater? check which of the reasons mentioned above is causing the noise and then proceed.
- Unfastened Parts Or Components Of Water Heater
If your tankless water heater system produces clattering and hamming noises, some of its parts or components might get loose.
Any Restriction in water flow: If your tankless water heater system has restricted water flow for blockage in water flowing, it produces shrieking noises.
- Rise And Fall In Water Pressure
Your tankless water heater can make ticking noise that is very common due to changes or fluctuations in water pressure while running in pipes.
- Residue Deposition
When the tankless water heater system deposits sediments or residues, it often causes cracking or hissing noises. Moreover, in extreme cases, when the sediment build-up increases upto a level that it starts breaking due to heating effects. The water heater system will cause popping noise.
- Vibrations
Your tankless water heater system may produce a ticking sound due to vibration caused by changes in water pressure.
Furthermore, it might be possible that the tankless water heater makes noise due to combinations of these reasons.
How To Reduce Noise From Tankless Water Heaters For The Above Causes?
After determining the source of noise from your tankless water heater, you can take the following measures depending on the cause or source of the sound.
1. Due To Loose Water Heater Components
If you discover any loose part or component in your tankless water heater system, try to fix or tighten it with the help of a suitable twist or plug.
It is critical to precisely discover all loose components in your entire tankless water heater system so that your system can endure permanent damage, provided that particular parts are loose or damaged.
2. Noises Due To The Restricted Water Flow
Ensure that your tankless water heater system’s water inlet and outlet valves are completely open because if water does not flow properly, it will create noises.
If you discover that the valves are not fully open, rotate the faucets in an anticlockwise direction unless they get fully engaged or water flows properly.
However, even after this, the noise does not fade away; you might need help from a plumber. Only a trained or experienced plumber can properly check water lines, temperature, and pressure relief valves.
3. Noises Caused Because Of Residue Deposition Or Sedimentation
Sometimes hard water build-up sedimentation in the tankless water heater systems, and this sedimentation or deposition of hard water does not get away by itself.
To reduce the noise caused due to such deposition, you will have to manually remove the build-up by flushing the water heater system with vinegar.
In some electric water heaters, the extreme residue disposition can also conceal the heating components inside tankless water heating systems.
If you also have an electric tankless water heater system and the noise is happing due to the sedimentation, detach the heating component from the unit and clean it with the help of vinegar and a wire brush.
4. Noises Caused Due To Rise And Fall In Water Pressure
Try to locate the source from where the noise is coming due to a change in water pressure. Tighten or fix any loose pipe or the straps holding the system pipes are loose. You can also opt for placing bars between the pipes and the walls to dampen or reduce the noises.
5. Noises Caused Because Of Vibration
Sometimes the tankless water heaters vibrate while heating, so the noise of vibration is quite normal, but if it annoys you, you can reduce it with the help of rubber or foam.
If your tankless water heater system is mounted openly to the wall, you can place rubber or foam sheets sandwiched between the tankless water heater and the wall.
If the entire water heater unit is placed in a closed case, you can reduce the noise with the help of audio insulations made for automobiles. Just place these insulations inside the case to reduce the noise of vibration.
Now that you know how to reduce noise from a tankless water heater, you must know that you can prevent these noises from arising with some easy prevention measures.
Some Anticipatory Measures To Avoid Causes Of Noise In Future
Here are some preventative measures you must opt for if you don’t want to hear the annoying noises from your tankless water heater.
1. To Avoid Noises Produced Due To Loose System Components
You must regularly check for the components or parts of the tankless water heater system if they have loose overtime or constant use.
2. To Prevent Noise Due To The Restricted Water Flow
To avoid any restrictions in water flow or noise due to this, ensure that your tankless water heater’s inlet and outlet valves remain fully open.
Also, keep an eye on whether the valves function properly or not.
3. To Restrict Noises Caused Because Of Residue Deposition Or Sedimentation
To avoid or restrict noise due to residue deposition, you have to flush your water tankless water heater at least once a year.
Nevertheless, if you supply hard water in the system, you possibly need to flush the tankless water heater more often than once a year.
Moreover, one more option you can opt for is installing a water softener system between the water supply system and your tankless water heater.
But this softener is quite costly. Also, using the water softener does not mean that you don’t have to flush the water heater. If you install the water softener system, you need to occasionally flush the tankless water heater. Still, the softener will make your entire flushing task easy and time-efficient.
This is the answer to reducing noise from tankless water heaters in the future also.
4. To Avoid Noises Caused Due To Rise And Fall In Water Pressure
You should occasionally check if there are loose straps on pipes connecting the tankless water heater system. Furthermore, if the straps on pipes are not loose or there is no noise, you can also count on installing bars to the pipes to prevent the noise from arising in the future.
5. To Prevent Noises Caused By Vibrations
Suppose you don’t want your tankless water heater to produce annoying noise because of vibration. In that case, you must think about or even install a rubber or foam sheet or audio insulation when installing your tankless water heater or do this as soon as possible before the noises due to vibration irritate you.
How To Reduce Noise From Tankless Water Heater – Some More Tactics
In this section, we will be discussing numerous weird noises from tankless water heaters, their causes and tactics to reduce or dampen them.
- Popping Sound
This sound from the tankless water heater is much like a boiling kettle about to explode or vent occasionally. Possibly there are two causes of sources of these noises.
First, this popping sound is produced when the sediments, especially mud, settle in the system and regularly release bubbles. This deposition is a mixture of calcium, minerals, and rust that causes overheating and boiling water.
Secondly, this noise occurs when water is overheating. As the sediment concludes the interior thermostat and prevents it from directly interacting with water, it fails to determine the exact water temperature and, as a result, overheats the water.
Tactic To Reduce This Noise: To reduce or avoid this noise, regularly flush your tankless water heater and take away the sediments by completely draining it if you have an electric tankless water heater.
If you have a gas tankless water heater, ensure that you have set the gas valve to pilot mode so that the burners don’t self-start during the flushing or draining of the water heater.
- Rumbling Sound
You might hear the rumbling sound because either the water is too hot or it is boiling extremely high temperature that is expected to explode.
However, the hot water rumble while heating reaching its boiling point. Water tends to rumble noise because of the roiling boil till a pressure relief valve sets off the steam.
This boiling or overheating of water in a tankless water heater can happen because the broken thermostat or the control unit is not reading the temperature right or deposition around the heating components.
On the other hand, a gas-type tankless water heater produces a rumbling sound due to uneven flame or flames turning on and off, or the heating unit has poor combustion or some muddy mess inside.
Tactic To Reduce This Noise: A temporary tactic to reduce this noise for your tankless water heater is draining or flushing it.
And if you need a permanent solution, check the thermostat and heating component and gas burners in an electric type and gas-powered tankless water heater. So, it is the answer to “how to reduce noise from a tankless water heater when it overheats the water”.
- Squealing Sound
This noise from a tankless water heater is like the sound of a kettle or pressure cooker that only needs a small opening. One simple cause of this noise is bad scaling in your tankless water heater that blocks the gas flow or other valves.
Other possible causes of squealing noise are the vibration the gas flow prompts to the heater pipes, an obstruction in the line that pushes gas through a narrower pipe, a deformation in the gas jets, etc.
Tactic To Reduce This Noise: To dampen this noise, try to descale the heat exchanger, valves and burners.
- Beeping Sound
You might hear the beeping noise as a warning. It might be due to the shutting off of the water heater, a water or gas leakage, or an electrical issue.
The beeping sound might occur because water heating components are overheating in the tankless water heater, but the temperature sensor cannot detect the actual temperature of the water.
Tactic To Reduce This Noise: Set the thermostat off and check what problem has occurred; if it is just because of scaling, descaling the heater can help. But if it is any leakage or electrical problem, take help from a plumber or electrician.
- Chirping Sound
You might hear this noise if your tankless water heater has a leak detector that warns you of leakage in the system.
Besides, the temperature sensor in the tankless water heater can also produce this sound as a warning if the system begins to overheat to inform you that you need to turn down the temperature.
Tactic To Reduce This Noise: Try to avoid the noise by using new batteries in your tankless water heater.
- Hissing Sound
You might hear the hissing sound due to following reasons:
- It can just be the pressure relief valve releasing the excess pressure from your tankless water heater.
- A water leakage.
- The noise of the cooler copper pipes refilling themselves if you have a swamp cooler in your tankless water heater.
Tactic To Reduce This Noise: Check if there is a leakage by looking at the water meter spins of the water heater.
- Humming Sound
You might hear the humming sound from your tankless water heater due to the friction of water continuously flowing around the vertically aligned element of your water heater.
Tactic To Reduce This Noise: If you are looking to reduce noise from your tankless water heater,” firmly fix the elements to correct positions.
- Whistling Sound
You will hear the whistling-like noise from your tankless water heater if the pressure valve releases excess pressure or there is a crack blowing or sucking the air out.
Remember that you will only hear this sound when using your tankless water heater system.
To check it, turn on the water tap and see if air comes with the flowing water; the air is pushed through the pipe. And if there is no air coming out from the pipes, they are choked and need to be cleaned.
If you hear this noise only from your tankless water heater, it can be water that is pushed into the water heater through a nozzle.
Tactic To Reduce This Noise: To reduce or dampen this noise, regularly clean the pipes or replace them with new pipes.
FAQs:-
How To Reduce Noise From A Tankless Water Heater By Myself?
To reduce noise from your tankless water heater, first, you need to identify the source and cause of noise in the system and treat it accordingly.
Is It Dangerous If My Tankless Water Heater Makes Noise?
Some sounds from water heaters are normal because they need repairing or attention; however, there is less probability that a tankless water heater noise can be dangerous.
Why Does My Tankless Water Heater Produce Weird Noise?
Your tankless water heater can produce noise for many reasons, such as loose components, hard water sedimentation, overheating of water, etc.
In Conclusion, tankless water heaters are a good investment for your home. Suppose you are new to them or just encountered any noise from your tankless water heater and looking for solutions for “how to reduce noise from tankless water heater .” In that case, all the tactics mentioned above can be very useful. You only need to identify the problem or cause of noise from your tankless water heater and use these tactics accordingly. Sometimes the noises from your tankless water can be only because of the heating of water or temperature adjustment.
