You may not think much of your water heater until problems arise. Most homeowners believe hot water is much more than a luxury. Your hot water expansion tank is an integral part of the plumbing system in your home. Tank failure leads to many problems and could cause damage to other components in the plumbing system, and knowing how to check if your expansion tank is bad can save you a lot of money.
We want you to understand how expansion tanks work and how you can determine if yours is performing effectively. Keep reading to learn more about the expansion tank in your home.
What Is a Hot Water Expansion Tank?
If you have ever paid attention to your water heater, you have likely noticed a small tank installed directly above the water heater tank. This tank may seem minute, but it serves a significant purpose.
Plumbers install hot water expansion tanks to handle thermal expansion. As you likely learned in science class, water expands when heated. With increased water expansion comes increased pressure.
A hot water expansion tank accepts the flow of expanded water, preventing an increase in pressure in your water lines. Increased pressure can damage your water valves, pipes, and other plumbing components.
Do All Homes Have Expansion Tanks?
Older homes are unlikely to have hot water expansion tanks because they only recently became a requirement. Instead, these homes have check valves on the main water line.
If you have noticed water dripping from the relief valve on the water heater or premature washer failure in your plumbing fixtures, consider installing a hot water expansion tank.
How To Check If Expansion Tank Is Bad
You can tell if your thermal expansion tank is working by pushing the air valve (Schrader valve) on the bottom of the take and seeing whether or not air comes out. If air comes out, your expansion tank is working. If nothing or water comes out your tank is bad and needs to be replaced.
When a hot water expansion tank works correctly, you will probably see no problems with leaks and other issues. It is simpler to understand the signs of expansion tank failure. If your hot water expansion tank is failing, the following will occur.
- The relief valve drips during the water heater recovery period, despite no water usage.
- The water heater tanks in your home fail prematurely.
- You will hear a metal cracking noise stemming from your water heater when pressure is relieved. This sound is caused by the metal of the tank returning to its normal shape after being stretched during expansion.
- The faucets in your home will drip during the water heater recovery period, despite water usage.
- You will also notice the water coming from your faucets will surge when the valve opens but will then drop in pressure.
What Causes Thermal Expansion?
You already know water expands as it heats, but let’s go further into the subject. Because water expands and pressure increases, expansion tanks are essential in many homes to prevent damage to the plumbing components.
Plumbers consider the water pressure in your home too high if it is over 80 psi. Years ago, thermal expansion rarely caused major problems for plumbing systems because the expanding water would simply flow back into the main house supply lines.
Because most homes now have pressure regulators and backflow preventers installed, thermal expansion is proving to be a problem. Besides these plumbing devices, there is also a greater demand on water supplies because of surges in population growth.
Problems Caused by High Water Pressure
Many homeowners mistakenly believe higher water pressure is a good thing. After all, it relieves their aching backs during a hot shower. You may not realize water pressure over 80 psi can lead to higher water bills.
Higher water pressure is going to increase your water bills because more water is flowing. Besides increased water flow, your water bills will also rise because of leaking relief valves.
Your water heater will also suffer damage from high water pressure. The glass lining of the water heater will crack under too much pressure. A cracked liner can lead to rust formation in your tank, which will cause it to degrade. Knowing how to check if your expansion tank is bad can prevent issues that could cause corrosion to your plumbing system. Corrosion in your water supply leads to poor taste and possible health concerns.
High water pressure will also cause your plumbing fixtures to wear out prematurely. Increased water pressure caused by thermal expansion will lead to problems like water hammer and uneven water flow.
The installation of an expansion tank can ease all these problems. This small tank takes on the excess water volume from expansion and prevents increased pressure. Today, homes have these tanks installed during the construction process. If your home is lacking a hot water expansion tank, seek a plumber to have one installed today.
Schedule a Plumbing Appointment
If you have noticed signs of problems with your expansion tank or water heater, call our plumbers right away. While thermal expansion is normal, you must contain it with an expansion tank to avoid plumbing component damage.
With an inspection of your tanks and water pressure checks, we will determine whether a replacement is warranted.
Don’t endure the signs of a trenchless sewer problem. Call BL Plumbing today and get your sewer line fixed.
