Whistling immersion heater

[DavidHawkings]

I have a 300 litre De Dietrich water heater installed in my house in France. It's about 18 month old. For the last 6 months it's been making an intermittent whistling sound, but the water temperature seems fine and theres no evidence of an airlock. Any ideas?

 

[Nige F]

Is it whistling the Marseillaise element is prob. on the way out just replaced a "hardwater" one over here- 2 yrs only to the month

 

[DavidHawkings]

Thanks Nigel - it's pretty tuneless, but driving us mad. Could it be due to water pressure changes in the supply. I'm thinking of fitting a non-return valve...

 

[Nige F]

I don`t think a non return valve would be a good idea.the water has to expand somwhere and I think that it may go back into the mains in France...they don`t have any expansion vessels on their unvented heaters, the water dribbles to waste.but then they`ve probably got a bettersupply infrastructure to cope witha bit of loss........General observation when I went there was that they only engineer what is needed, and in my opinion this has a certain "purity" about it...and they take the **** out of us I`m beginning to wish I was French, we`re becoming the joke of the EU sorry - politics crept in

 

[DavidHawkings]

Nige,

Thanks for that. I don't think it can be the element as it whistles even when the power is off! I suggested a non return valve as I suspect it may be heavy usage from the farm next door causing fluctuations in pressure, but i do take your point abpout the hot water having to expand somewhere. Another thought - it has a sacrificial anode which is always "on" even when the power is off thanks to a battery. Could this be causing the whistling?

It's doing it even as I sit and type this - grrrrrr!

 

[DavidHawkings]

Hi guys!

I think I may have solved the problem. Eventually I gave in and called the firm which installed the immersion heater. They replaced the "groupe de securite" which is a combined inlet, drainage point and pressure relief valve.

This was a week ago and there's been no whistle since. The guy said it was "bizarre" but thinks there may have been a foreign body in the unit and the movement of water in the pipes was causing a noise which was then amplified in the heater casing.

I dunno...but it's really peaceful here now!

 

[Nige F]

Foreign body...in a country that`s foreign to us thanks for the outcome...enjoy life in France