Why does hot water sound different from cold water?

Answer 1

If you've noticed, when you turn the shower on the morning, the cold water comes through from the pipe first and it will splash and sound different against the bottom of the shower compared with when the hot water, which comes along shortly afterwards, comes in; the note will change. This is a real observation; your ears aren't deceiving you.

The reason for it is that water changes its viscosity - its stickiness - according to its temperature.

If you could zoom in with a really powerful microscope and look at some water molecules, what you'd see is they are shaped like miniature boomerangs. At the apex of the boomerang you would see an oxygen atom and on each of the arms, you'd see hydrogen atoms.

Oxygen loves electrons, so it pulls the electrons of itself and the hydrogen towards itself very tightly, and that makes the oxygen a bit minus. The hydrogens are correspondingly therefore a bit plus.

As a result, when water molecules are sitting together side by side in solution, the positively charged hydrogens are attracted to the negatively charged oxygens of an adjacent molecule and this is called hydrogen bonding. It makes water sticky, and it gives it some of its special properties that in fact help it to make life happen on Earth. So it's pretty important that this happens.

But, when you heat the water up, the particles start to move much more quickly. They have more kinetic energy which is a function of the temperature. This means that they're zipping past each other much faster. They're therefore gluing onto each other less well and this makes the water runnier or less viscous.

So when it comes splashing out of the shower and hits the shower pan, the water fragments into smaller particles and makes a higher pitched splashing noise than when it goes into the cup or goes into the sink when it's cold.

Have a listen next time you're in the bath for the shower and you will see that the note is different.

Answer 2

Here is what Contributors had to report on water pressure sounds: * First, the temperature of the water affects the internal diameter of the faucet and faucet neck where the water is delivered. Hot water coming through the faucet neck will cause inward expansion, parially closing off the neck and altering the acoustic characteristics of the faucet neck. Cold water will have the opposite effect. Second, hot water follows a different path from cold water. The hot water pipe will have a different length in most cases because it is coming from a different place; this, combined with the resonant frequency of the water heater itself, will alter the resonant frequency of the Plumbing compared to the (mostly) straight-through cold water pipes. * Actually pipes expand outward when hot. That is, they will have a larger diameter, both internally and externally. They also become longer. * The actual answer lies with cavitation of the water... which is where the sound is coming from in the first place.

* As the water crosses the partially opened valve of the faucet, it undergoes a rapid decrease in pressure. This decrease in pressure leads to the creation and collapse of tiny bubbles of water vapor and dissolved air in the water. This effect is called cavitation and is quite noisy as the small bubbles collapse and generate shock waves. -At colder temperatures, fewer and smaller bubbles with a shorter lifespan are created.

* At higher temperature, more, longer lasting, and larger bubbles (and the sound they make) are created. This changes both the pitch and intensity of the sound as the water temperature changes. It's also why you can change the sound by opening and closing the valve slightly, which changes the drop in pressure.

Answer 3

There is a valve on top of most Water Heaters, maybe it's shut off.

bob...

1- The piping coming out of the tank if ferrous metal connected to non ferrous metal causing electrolytic action

2- The tank has not be properly serviced allowing sediment to acclimate

3- The supply piping has internal mineral deposits leading away from the tank.

4- Globe valves installed rather then full port Gate or Ball type

Answer 4

Sounds moves faster in cold water than hot water. The reason behind is the higher density and consequently the higher atomic bonding force. The stronger the bonding force the faster the sound travel. This is same as that sound moves faster in the solid than in liquid.

Answer 5

No water at all? from the cold side?,, Valve is off. Water is working but hot?,, The lines are connected together someplace.

Answer 6

i never noticed a salty taste in my hot water....cheack your water filter or have somebody come look at your valves

Answer 7

It is broken