[jrd]

My gas water heater periodically makes a sound like marbles are bouncing around inside the tank. I have drained the tank twice thinking it was the result of trapped gas.....but the noise continues. How can I eliminate this problem?

[Talk Host]

Have you tried removing the marbles?

[chuckinca]

It might need an expansion tank on the discharge. Maybe $200 by a handyman.

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[golf2140]

Originally Posted by jrd;34***9

My gas water heater periodically makes a sound like marbles are bouncing around inside the tank. I have drained the tank twice thinking it was the result of trapped gas.....but the noise continues. How can I eliminate this problem?

I'm sorry, I didn't want my tee-shot to hit your home.

[kaydee]

Originally Posted by jrd;34***9

My gas water heater periodically makes a sound like marbles are bouncing around inside the tank. I have drained the tank twice thinking it was the result of trapped gas.....but the noise continues. How can I eliminate this problem?

Our hot water tank makes the same sounds and I was convinced there was a problem. We had it checked out ( do not remember who we had) and was told everything was fine and the noise was due to the internal heating and expansion.

[chuckinca]

. . . an expansion tank will fix that.


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[Ohiogirl]

How old is your water tank? Think I would just wait until it got to its expected lifespan and replace - possibly with a tankless one. Think of all that storage space you would gain!

[REDCART]

Several folks who have passed the 5-year mark are noticing that their gas hot water tanks are beginning to pass water. In most cases, the mini-expansion tank rather than the pressure relief valve has failed. Some folks have this expansion tank on the inlet side (cold side) of their hot water tanks. Others have it on the outlet (hot side). I've been told the correct side is the cold side. A replacement expansion tank sells for $35-$40. If mine were on the wrong side, I'd probably leave it that way and simply replace the expansion tank. It's a cheap, relatively easy fix if you know what you're doing. Moving the location of the expansion tank on the other hand is not quite as easy, and I could see a plumber charging $200-$250 to make the switch but simply replacing an expansion tank in the same place shouldn't cost that much.

The expansion tank has a rubber bladder inside which traps about 10 psi of air. When the bladder fails the tank fills up with water. The weight of a full expansion tank begins to pull down the pipe. If you see a deflection in the pipe with the expansion tank, that's another indication that it's time to replace this expansion tank.

George

[gary42651]

I`m not sure how old your tank is, but I would bet that you have a calcium build up on the bottom of your tank, flushing it will not help, they do make a chemical that will remove this, but if your tank is old, its not worth the expence, and it MAY cause your tank to leak. A bad expension tank will not cause this sound.

[Cliff]

gryoung gave you sound advice. I had the same problem with my water heater for years. Had it looked at about three or four times and was told there was no problem. Eventually had a plumber install an expansion tank (large one) on top of the heater and ---- rumbling sound gone.

[batman911]

I agree with Gary. Most probable cause is sediment build up in the bottom of the tank. The sediment also causes the water heater to use more fuel to reach the set temperature because it acts as and insulator. The way to avoid sediment build up is to drain water from the bottom of your water heater (drain valve) several times a year. Very difficult to fix once you have the sediment build up problem.