Water Heater Expansion Tank Setup

For most residential installations with 40 or 50 gallon water heaters a simple 2 gallon tank is fine.
Water heater expansion tank setup. This lowers the water pressure inside your water heater to safe levels. Locate the cold water supply line and determine which part of it runs horizontal. Shut the power off to your water heater while you are installing. Pricing is largely dependent on the size of the tank.
When replacing or installing a water heater expansion tank is important to setup or adjust the pressure in the expansion tank to match the water pressure in your home. The expansion tank potable water type should be installed on the inlet cold water line. A hot water expansion tank is a small metal tank usually 2 5 gallons that s installed just downstream of the cold water inlet valve that feeds your residential water heater. Attach expansion tank pipe.
Attach the expansion tank. Doing so will extend the. It can be installed anywhere in the building on the cold water supply after the regulator. Water heater expansion tank prices start at around 40 and range up to nearly 200.
When an expansion tank is installed the extra water volume automatically rushes into the tank. As water heats inside the water heater and exceeds the capacity of the tank the overflow rushes into the expansion tank. It is designed to handle that excess water that builds up. 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.
Determine the size of water heater expansion tank you will need. A water heater expansion tank is an additional small thank that is attached to your water heater unit. Instructions new water heater installation attach a dielectric union. The expansion tank s purpose is to protect your house s hot water system from excessive pressure which can cause damage to fixtures.