Bradford White Water Heater Beeping is a common yet a must-to-fix problem. This water heater will beep when it senses a problem and throws a warning code. Therefore, scale or lime formation on the bottom tank or the heating elements will also cause a beeping sound.
Throughout this troubleshooting guide, I will break down the causes that make the water heater beep. Plus, I will also discuss the ways of how to stop water heater beeping. So, read on till the end.
Table of Contents
Why Is My Bradford White Water Heater Beeping?
Lime or scale formation on the bottom of the tank or on the heating element is the main culprit that causes your Bradford White Water Heater to produce a beeping noise. Besides, the Bradford White Water Heater will beep once it detects a problem and displays error codes.
And sometimes the beeping noise you hear is just a normal operational noise or due to pressure buildup.
In this chapter, I will describe everything in detail that causes the water heater to make a beep. Also, I will walk you through the what to do steps if water heater is beeping. So, keep reading.
01. Lime Or Sediment Buildups
As I mentioned earlier, scale or lime formation on the bottom of the tank will make your water heater produce a beeping noise. It’s natural you get an amount of sand & other minerals in the water and over time, they form a scale buildup on the tank.
When you turn on your Bradford White Gas Water Heater, water droplets will bubble through the sediment buildups and produce the annoying beeping sound.
On the other hand, if you have Bradford White Electric Water Heater, you will hear a hissing or rumbling noise. It’s because of the lime or scale buildups on the heating elements.
How To Fix:
Every water heater manufacturer (including Bradord White) recommends to drain the water heater tank every 6 months. So, maintain this guideline and drain your water heater that will help remove sediment or lime formation from the bottom of the tank.
Don’t forget to check the heating elements of the water heater. If these parts get covered with sediments, you should scrape it with vinegar. Keep in mind; you must drain the water heater before removing the heating elements from the unit. Otherwise, hot water coming out of the heating element port will burn your skin.
Remember; flushing or draining the water heater can’t remove all the lime or sediment build ups from the bottom of the tank. The long term solution I can suggest to you is to install a water softener to inhibit scale formation.
Note: Many homeowners have questions on using vinegar to remove scale formation. Fortunately, we give the answer to their questions in this article: Will Vinegar Damage A Hot Water Heater?
02. Pressure Buildup Caused By Thermal Expansion
Is the relief valve producing a beeping or popping sound? If yes, pressure buildup caused by thermal expansion is the culprit behind this issue. As the water is heated, it expands in volume and maximizes the pressure within the water system. This is known as thermal expansion.
As a water heater is a closed system, the expanding water can’t flow back into the main water supply. Consequently, the thermal expansion creates a dangerous situation by increasing the pressure in the water heater and its piping. This increase of rapid pressure can quickly reach the safety setting of the relief valve and operate the relief valve during each heating cycle.
It makes the pressure relief valve to produce a beeping noise or draining hot water.
How To Fix:
Replacing the pressure relief valve will not solve the thermal expansion issue. The possible way to decrease pressure buildup is to install an expansion tank in the cold water line between the hot water heater and the check valve. I highly recommend you call a certified plumber to deal with the thermal expansion issues.
03. It’s Normal
Yes, it’s a normal operating sound of the water heater. The water heater has a fan inside the unit used to move air through the system. So, some amount of fan sound is normal. Indeed, there is nothing to worry about.
Solution:
You don’t need to do anything as it’s normal. However, if the sound seems abnormal or makes a louder noise than usual, you should call a technician to solve this issue.
04. Bradford White Water Heater Beeping F11
If you try to power up your Bradford White Water Heater before filling it with water, it will beep and warn you by throwing an error code ‘F11’. Turning on the water heater before filling will damage the internal parts.
And the bad part is- the warranty will never cover the damage or failure from the operation with an empty or partially empty tank.
How To Fix:
To stop the audible beep, fill the water heater with water. Once you fill the tank, power on your water heater. Now, press enter to stop the alarm.
If you assure the water tank is filled with water but still beeping the error message ‘F11’, understand it’s a false indicator because your water heater may encounter certain environmental conditions.
In this case, just turn the circuit breaker to the off position for 10 minutes. After that period,turn on the circuit breaker again. I hope it will erase the error code and stop the beeping noise. If not, turn off the unit and call a professional for help.
05. Bradford White Water Heater Beeping FA-F8
When your water heater detects an issue with the heat pump system, it will make an audible beep and flash the error code ‘FA-F8’.
How To Fix:
The unit will automatically switch to another available mode to ensure you get continuous flow of hot water. Professional skills are required to fix this issue. I strongly suggest you contact a service guy and inform you about the listed error code on the screen.
06. Bradford White Water Heater Beeping ‘bAd linE’
If ‘bAd linE’ is displayed on the screen, I bet there is a problem with the electrical wiring. Your water heater doesn’t receive the right amount of voltage as intended. Bad wirings, faulty ground connection, other electrical issues cause the unit to not get 240V.
How To Fix:
Just turn the power off to the unit. Then, fix the electric wiring problems. If you are not electrically inclined, it would be best to call a certified electrician.
End-Note
Some kind of sound is normal like the operational sound of the fan. However, if the sound level seems abnormal, you should ignore it. Generally, the Bradford White Water Heater will make noise if lime or sediments form on the bottom tank or the heating element.
Therefore, your water heater will make an audible beep after the unit senses a problem and throws an error code on the display screen. Luckily, I broke down each of them. So, follow the steps I recommend to fix the beeping noise.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional if you fail to stop the beeping sound after trying all the troubleshooting steps I mentioned.
Read Also:
- Bradford White Water Heater Troubleshooting
- Bradford White Water Heater Pilot Light Will Not Stay Lit
- Bradford White water heater status light blinking
Eric Alvarez is the head of content on LilDutchUncle.Com. He is an HVAC guy based in El Paso, Texas, United States. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University Of Texas at El Paso. Years of experience in the HVAC field have taught him many lessons, not the least of which is that the value of quality and knowledge far exceeds any promised initial savings. He has a good standing reputation for superior skills in heating, air conditioning, hot water tanks, and indoor air quality systems.
