Hot Water Heaters and Thermal Expansion - Does Your Hot Water Heater Require a Thermal Expansion Tank?

Hot Water Heaters: Friend or Foe?

Your Hot Water Heater is among the most costly and important areas of your water system. With out them, existence just wouldn't be exactly the same. Imagine cold showers every single day! But are you aware that your hot water heater might be leading to an issue inside your pipes?

Warm Water Grows

Warm water heating units get the job done by utilizing either an electrical heating unit or perhaps a gas burners to warmth cold water making it hot. However , water grows when it's heated. This really is known as "Thermal Expansion".

An Additional Half Gallon Water

Because of Thermal Expansion, a normal 40 gallon warm water heater produces a good extra half gallon water within the pipes while heating water from 70 levels to 120 levels. When the extra water does not have anywhere to visit it causes pressure within the pipes to increase, sometimes in place.

A Closed System Produces The Issue

For those who have a "Closed System", meaning there's a cheque valve or "Backflow Preventer" around the incoming conduit, the additional volume of water triggered by thermal expansion has nowhere to visit. Which means that pressure inside your pipes could possibly get excessive, possibly leading to problems.

An Excessive Amount Of Pressure Isn't Good

In case your pressure will get excessive due to thermal expansion it may cause several problems. Among the primary issues is your T and P Relief Valve around the hot water heater can begin to drip or run. This valve is made to release pressure whether it will get as much as 150 psi. However , it's actually a safety valve and is not made to open and shut a great deal. An excessive amount of could make it fail.

Thermal Expansion May Cause Running Toilets

Another characteristic of thermal expansion problems is really a toilet that keeps running or kicking on every so often. This really is triggered through the excess pressure conquering the float around the fill valve, permitting water to operate in to the tank. With time this could make the fill valve to prevent working making it run constantly.

A Thermal Expansion Tank Will Solve These Complaints

If you're going through either of those problems, or you are simply changing your hot water heater, it may be beneficial to set up a Thermal Expansion Tank. This can be a small tank by having an air bladder inside that's set up in the cold water line close to the hot water heater. Once the hot water heater occurs and begins heating, the additional water that's produced needs in to the tank and compresses the environment bladder. Because the water cools, or perhaps a faucet is opened up, the bladder pushes the additional water back from the tank,

A Reasonably Simple Job

Setting up a Thermal Expansion Tank is a reasonably simple job. You need to simply turn the primary water off, use a tee and feminine adapter within the cold water line close to the hot water heater after which screw the development Tank in to the adapter. A couple of fundamental tools along with a little understanding and you may eliminate thermal expansion out of your piping system.