Water Heater Thermal Expansion Tank Necessary

One 50 gallon water heater for instance can be served by a 2 gallon expansion tank.

Water heater thermal expansion tank necessary. The excess water volume instead of causing too much pressure on the plumbing rushes into the expansion tank and lowers the pressure in the water heater to safer levels. This ultimately protects it from damage. The water heater expansion tank serves as an overflow receptacle by absorbing excess water volume that occurs when water is heated as well as absorbing fluctuations in the incoming water supply pressure. Instead of storing water though the thermal expansion relief valve releases it solving some of the problems that come with using an expansion tank.

If water pressure gets to high it can damage valves in plumbing fixtures joints in supply pipes and the water heater itself. Since water expands when it is heated due to thermal expansion the water heater creates extra water volume every time it heats water. For example a 50 gallon water heater can be supplied by a 2 gallon expansion tank. 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.

If you have a pressure regulating valve or a check valve. 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. If you have more than one heater on the same or connected system you can either have an expansion tank for each heater or a single larger expansion tank. The expansion tank serves as a backup system to prevent overworking your plumbing.

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. Signs that you need a water heater expansion tank if you have a closed system. Common expansion tank problems. The expansion tank is designed to handle the thermal expansion of water as it heats up in the water heater preventing excessive water pressure.

However if a storage tank is used in conjunction with a tankless water heater in a closed system which is sometimes the case with recirculation then a means of controlling thermal expansion must be provided. You need a thermal expansion solution that is adequately sized for your plumbing system. If you have several heaters in the same system or connected you can equip each heater with an expansion tank or you can use a single larger expansion tank. While expansion tanks are required by code in most closed loop water heater systems they have a reputation for failing.