Puzzled Homeowner
New Member
My water heater started making bubbling noises during the past year or so that have become so loud it sounds like an unstable washing machine or a bunch of cats and dogs banging around in there. The water gets hot and the noise stops when the water gets hot. It doesn't seem to take longer to heat the water than ever before.
Another issue is that there is always air in the hot water lines that cause lots of spitting every morning when we start showering, etc. It is also disconcerting to return from a vacation and have air mixed with brown water come out of every faucet for a few seconds until things settle out.
Background: We bought our house 3 years ago in Southern New Hampshire. At that time, the oil-fired water heater was relatively new, but there were large holes in the top with wet fiberglass showing. The oil company replaced the heater since it was still under the original warranty. Since then, we have had the water heater serviced annually when we have the furnace tuned. Each time, we have had the "rods" (anodes?) replaced as they were down to about 1/8 inch in diameter. Haven't seen new ones, so don't know how bad that is. We have had a pH remediation filter and a water softener installed to overcome the water quality issues in the area. The water heater is some sort of Canadian manufacture, if I remember correctly (I'm dong this at work from memory).
My question: I'm wondering if there is a problem brewing here that I need to fix other than for the noise. Is this a symptom of something else?
Another issue is that there is always air in the hot water lines that cause lots of spitting every morning when we start showering, etc. It is also disconcerting to return from a vacation and have air mixed with brown water come out of every faucet for a few seconds until things settle out.
Background: We bought our house 3 years ago in Southern New Hampshire. At that time, the oil-fired water heater was relatively new, but there were large holes in the top with wet fiberglass showing. The oil company replaced the heater since it was still under the original warranty. Since then, we have had the water heater serviced annually when we have the furnace tuned. Each time, we have had the "rods" (anodes?) replaced as they were down to about 1/8 inch in diameter. Haven't seen new ones, so don't know how bad that is. We have had a pH remediation filter and a water softener installed to overcome the water quality issues in the area. The water heater is some sort of Canadian manufacture, if I remember correctly (I'm dong this at work from memory).
My question: I'm wondering if there is a problem brewing here that I need to fix other than for the noise. Is this a symptom of something else?