Water Heater Thermal Expansion Tank Required

The expansion tank serves as a backup system to prevent overworking your plumbing.

Water heater thermal expansion tank required. One 50 gallon water heater for instance can be served by a 2 gallon expansion tank. Local inspectors or local code requirements may still require the label. 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. A thermal expansion tank used on a water heater that is not covered by the code should not be required to carry the asme label.

Here s what we mean. Even if you do not have a closed system asking about a water heater expansion tank is still a great idea. That extra water volumeraises the pressurein your water heater to dangerous levels. For example the cold water in a standard 50 gallon water heater expands to 52 gallons when heated to 120 f.

You need a thermal expansion solution that is adequately sized for your plumbing system. This is called thermal expansion. You can usually get an expansion tank for under 50. This ultimately protects it from damage.

That said it may still be a requirement of the owner s insurance carrier or the standard specification of the engineer. 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. What size expansion tank do i need. If you have a closed system then you ll likely be required to install an expansion tank.

When water is heated inside your water heater it expands.