I recently completed my basement office and moved in to start doing business. I have noticed that my hot water heater at the other end of the basement creeks about every 5-10 minutes. It makes me feel like I am in the bowels of a steamship on a TransAtlantic journey. Does anyone know why this creeking is happening and is it something I need to be concerned about, other than watching out for iceburgs. Thanks for the info! BeeDub
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That's not the water heater, that's your knees!
Not uncommon. Hard water deposits build up inside the heater and creak as the heater gets hotter and colder. Even without hard water deposits some water heaters will creak as the heat exchanger gets hot, then cold.
Try flushing it, but be careful -- the water that comes out of the drain valve is VERY hot and LOVES to splash all over everything.
Dan is right, however I would not expect the water heater to cycling that often unless someone is using hot water at the time.
Is this a "standard" water heater. That is a standalone 40/50 gal gas or electric water heater.
Or is this a boiler with a tankless coil.
Or a storage only tank feed by a sepearate coil.
Or a tankless water heater.
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Knees, however, tend to cycle even faster.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
How old is the water heater? Having just put some money into a basement office, you might do well to protect your investment by replacing a really old one before it leaks.
-- J.S.
Did ya grease the fittings lately?
Make sure ya use Water Heater Grease ONLY, ask for it at Lowes.
I agree with DanH--mine used to do the same thing--I'd hear it at night, creaking and rumbling. It was so limed up that it only held a couple gallons of water--the rest was lime deposits. I think it was a 20 gallon heater and it took two of us to carry it to the curb after the water was emptied! I guess you could try draining it, but I'd bet it won't help much.