Any plumbers on here?

[Wes Davis]

My water heater has two elements and two adjustable thermostats. When the thermostats turn on and off they produce a very loud 'click'. The water heater is located in a closet in the second bedroom. These 'clicks' are so loud they can be heard through the entire condo. I have lived here 1 1/2 months. I spent the first two weeks trying to find out what the loud clicking noise was. Is this a sign of impending failure? Is there a way to quiet these thermostats?

 

[Wes Davis]

Hey everytime I hit refresh I repost???

 

[EddieS'04]

Why are you clicking to refresh..just click reply after you type your message and wait for the page to change..

 

[Thomas Rogers]

I'm going to be the first to answer ONE of your questions.



If the clicking sounds like a loud, vibrating, banging type of a noise that starts low, gets louder, then softer then goes away over a short time (10 or so seconds), then your problem *might* actually be in a toilet but triggered by your hot water heater.



If you have a leaky seal in one of your toilet innards a drop in pressure caused by the turning on of water elsewhere (like a garden hose, a faucet, or the filling of a water heater) can cause back-pressure that forces water back through the seal causing the banging and vibration.



The way to test this theory is that when you hear such banging, go quick and flush a toilet...if the noise goes away, it's that toilet.



If none of the toilets seems to be at fault, the problem is something else.



This *could* be one cause. Good luck.



TJR

 

[Bill Ellis]

The click you hear might be the heater element relay that is controlled by the thermostat. If the water heater works properly then you might just have to live with the noise. If that is not acceptable, then replace the 'stats.

 

[Todd Z]

Sounds like a Line voltage thermostat, if that is a 110 Volt or 220volt relay they are noisy...



You could replace the thermostat and relay on the heater, But I would ask the other condo residents if they hear the same thing...



Todd Z

 

[Chops]

T-stats are fairly inexpensive.

If you're sure the clicks are coming from them, denote the brand they are, and buy a different brand. It's worth a shot.



My heater (100 gal) has only one element, but the element is for back up only. I have a solar system. I could not tell when my element was on/off (NO NOISE whatsoever), so I wired in a pilot lamp. It rarely came on, I killed the power to the heater, the solar is very effective.



If it is banging pipes, water hammers are quite effective. I plumbed in two hammers in my new kitchen sink.



**Just my experiences, I am not a plumber.

 

[Brandon Hovater]

Buy a new one.

 

[Wes Davis]

Yeh this isn't a pipe problem just loud a** thermostats or as stated above relays.



I don't know why I was clicking refresh. My computer told me to and I always do what I am told. LOL

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Okay, if it's the thermo then replace it as others said. Good luck.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

I am betting it is the relays. Unless you find a way to wrap them with some sound absorbing material, they are what they are. You will continue to get the noise...