My Hot Water Heater Is Making a High-Pitched Noise

Turn your electric water heater's power off and disable the heater's circuit breaker before attempting any troubleshooting procedures. For a gas heater, turn the control valve to the “Pilot” setting. Close your heater's cold water supply inlet valve, a knob usually located on top of the unit.

Screw a garden hose onto the heater's drain valve -- the faucet-like fixture located near the bottom of the tank -- to act as a drainage tube. Direct the hose into a floor drain, a sink, a tub or outside into a safe drainage area.

Open the pressure relief valve – the lever at the top of the heater's tank – very slowly. Open the drain valve where the hose is connected. Allow the water to run and check the hose's outlet, which should flow with grayish dirty water. Wait until the water runs completely clear.

Allow the water heater to cool, and close the pressure release valve if the hose becomes too clogged to drain. Remove the hose and break up any solid debris in the clogged drain valve with a screwdriver. Reattach the hose, keep the valve closed and turn the cold water supply inlet valve back on to “power flush” the tank.

Close the drain valve, unscrew the hose, close the pressure relief valve and turn the cold water supply inlet valve back on when you've finished flushing the heater. Turn one of your home's hot water faucets on and allow it run until it the water is free of air bubbles. Restart your heater.

Contact a professional plumber if problems persist. Ask about installing a water softener or low-watt density heating elements with large surface areas. These efficiency-increasing components can also help quell noise in water heaters.