Strange Noises Coming From My Tank All aspects of plumbing questions and answers, help, tips and information

[sellwegger]

Hi,

We have an immersion heater in our home, with a water tank in the loft and a hot water tank in the airing cupboard. We keep the water on at all times to ensure a steady flow of hot water in our house.

Recently the tank has woken me and my partner up at nighttime by making knocking and bubbling noises. We have got up to investigate but can't see anything untoward.

Could there be a problem or is this normal? It seems to be at all times, whether we have bathed/showered or just filled the kettle. We don't have central heating and so perhaps the cold has had an effect?

At night time is when I hear it the most, but I don't know if it's because the rest of the house (and next door) are so quiet.

Thanks

[nitro23456]

if your cylinder is making a bubbling noise this is a cause for concern.

It sounds to me that your immersion heater maybe constantly heating the water to boiling point (is your water ridiculously hot and possibly slightly discoloured sometimes with a smell?). If this is the case it is likely that the thermostat for the immersion has failed and doesnt switch off when it gets to temperature (normally 60 degrees) and carries on and on.

I dont want to be alarmist but if this is happening, what you will get is vent-back up to your CW tank in the loft which is full of cold water (should be cold) and eventually cause this to rise in temp and possibly boil itself.

There was a recent case where this happened and the loft tank buckled spilling boiling water through the ceiling and killing a baby in the room below.

Signs to check:
- discoloured water (but not always)
- bubbling noise (boiling) in the cylinder
- VERY hot water

Checks you can do:
- go in the loft and touch the water in your tank (should be cold/ambient temp)
- turn the immersion off before going to bed.

This may not be what is happening BUT it sounds like it to me. Get it sorted asap.