Hot Water System Expansion Tank

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

Hot water system expansion tank. Both water heaters and boilers for home heating systems can be prone to this kind of damage unless measures are taken to prevent it. The expansion tank serves to take on the extra volume as well as any fluctuations in the incoming water supply pressure. Your expansion tank can help you to save your system. In a closed plumbing system a standard tank water heater can stress your plumbing pipes and fixtures through the normal thermal expansion that happens when water is heated.

Some tank designs incorporate a diaphragm or bladder to isolate the expanded water from the pressure controlling air cushion. Pressurized air goes below the diaphragm in the bottom half of the tank and water flows. This can be a problem in any closed system where water is heated. The expansion tank uses compressed air to maintain system pressures by accepting and expelling the changing volume of water as it heats and cools.

The expansion tank s purpose is to protect your house s hot water system from excessive pressure which can cause damage to fixtures your water heater lines and or fittings. When your water thermally expands a water heater expansion tank prevents unwanted increases in pressure. Inside the tank has a rubber diaphragm at around the mid point of the tank. Then where does the expansion tank come into play.

An expansion tank or expansion vessel is a small tank used to protect closed not open to atmospheric pressure water heating systems and domestic hot water systems from excessive pressure.