# Hot Water Heater Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353 "2003-04-26T17:53:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353/1 "2003-04-26T17:53:05Z")
I woke up this morning and thought I heard the toliet running. So hubby comes in to take a look. Nope it wasn’t the toliet. So our attention was turned to the hot water heater that sets in a different room but on the same side of the wall the toliet is on. We shut the power down to the house completly and still hearing a noise that sounds like it is coming from the vicinity of the hot water heater. We do have a well and I’m concerned about it burning up the pump. We see no visible leaks, but haven’t went underneath the house either. It kinda sounds like when your toliet is filling up with water or you hot water heater filling up with water. Where could the water be going? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353/2 "2003-04-26T18:21:29Z")
No help here. Just wanted to point out that _Hot_ Water Heater is redundant. ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353/3 "2003-04-26T18:50:36Z")
Your probably right. It’s just where I first heard the noise. Hubby is going up underneath now and he is so not looking forward to that. I don’t blame him either. I think we are going to need a plumber. Why do these things always happen on the weekend, when you can’t get a hold of anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353/4 "2003-04-26T19:16:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ashkicker \* > … We shut the power down to the house completly and still hearing a noise that sounds like it is coming from the vicinity of the hot water heater. We do have a well and I’m concerned about it burning up the pump… Most water heaters rely upon mains pressure to distribute heated water throughout the house. I have yet to see a regular one with a “pump” of any sort. Please clarify on this. Do any of your hot water taps drip or leak? This might explain something. Please explain the problem more clearly and some answers might become obvious. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353/5 "2003-04-26T20:50:14Z")
**Zen** she is talking about the pump for the well. **Ash** you need to look for wet spots in the yard, too. Open the water meter cover and watch the meter. If there’s a little red triangle thingy spinning madly, you have a leak. Look at the walls all thru the house; check inside the cabinets where there are water pipes. Do you have an automatic icmaker? Sometimes I can hear the water running in mine as it’s filling up. Check that for leaks too. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353/6 "2003-04-26T21:34:25Z")
I know that if you have a pump you don’t have a water meter. you have hotwater exiting someplace or it could be a calcium build-up in your hot water tank, this can cause weird noises when the tank is in the heating mode. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353/7 "2003-04-26T22:34:56Z")
Can you see the p&t outlet and is any water running from it? Water heaters have an outlet that vents if the pressure or temperature (p&t) get too high. Yours my have vented, the stuck open. ---
**Author:** ![Ashkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Ashkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashkicker)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353/8 "2003-04-27T05:10:21Z")
Yes, I was talking about the pump to the well. Hubby went under the house and sure enough we had a leak in one of the pipes. We had to shut the water off, and still have none. ☹ A friend can’t get to it till Sunday morning. I was hoping there was something we had overlooked or didn’t think of, but when he went under the house it was crystal clear what the problem was. Apparently if you have a leak like that and you don’t catch it you can burn the pump up to the well. I don’t know about these things since I have always had city water until I moved. Oh well (no pun intended). Hopefully we will have water when I come home from work tomorrow. Thanks for all the help. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353/9 "2003-04-27T07:54:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NinetyWt \* > **Zen** she is talking about the pump for the well… Perfectly clear from the OP. All my fault, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-water-heater-question/171353/10 "2003-04-27T17:21:18Z")
Well and stupid me about the water meter as well. :smack: