Is An Expansion Tank Necessary For A Water Heater

In a closed plumbing system a standard tank water heater can stress your plumbing pipes and fixtures through the normal thermal expansion that happens when water is heated.

Is an expansion tank necessary for a water heater.

Both water heaters and boilers for home heating systems can be prone to this kind of damage unless measures are taken to prevent it. That s a one way valve and if it s in the whole place it d prevent pressure surges from being absorbed by the well pressure tank and so an expansion tank would be needed on the water heater. Read on and we will answer these questions and give you a better understanding of what is going on with your water heater. So when the water pressure gets too high it will flow into your expansion tank instead of damaging your home s plumbing valves fixtures and joints and potentially causing a burst line with immeasurable damages and cost.

Title pretty much says it all. The thing is i can t tell if i have a check valve. So having a water heater expansion tank with the product will always help you to get the best result. Most professional plumbers choose to replace the dielectric union with a new one when an expansion tank is added to an existing water heater.

Expansion tanks aka thermal expansion tanks are essentially safety devices to help you minimize the risk of damage to your hot water tank they are an add on to your existing hot water heater and are often installed on the water supply pipe to the water heater normally this is on the wall next to or very close by your hot water tank. The expansion tank gives the excess hot water a place to flow into eliminating unnecessary stress on your hot water heater and saving you from inconsistent hot water pressure. It is designed to handle that excess water that builds up. All water heaters regardless of whether they use heating oil natural gas or propane or even electricity can suffer the negative effects of thermal expansion as the cold water coming into the tank turns to hot heated water increasing the overall water volume via expansion and increasing pressure inside the tank.

A water heater expansion tank is an additional small thank that is attached to your water heater unit. If necessary the expansion tank can be installed a foot or two away from the water heater provided it is properly spliced into the cold water line. This can be a problem in any closed system where water is heated. If water pressure gets to high it can damage valves in plumbing fixtures joints in supply pipes and the water heater itself.

To determine whether you need an expansion tank on your water heater you first need to understand what type of water heater you have what an expansion tank is and what size of an expansion tank you may need. Without installing a proper expansion tank with the product it becomes difficult to control the leakage and if the heater starts to overflow it may damage the internal components. Signs that you need a water heater expansion tank. At the same time it also reduces the lifespan of the heater.