August 7, 2023 • 5 mins
Episode 28
"The water heater is heating up. So it's expanding a little bit and that is being handled by the expansion tank - it will take care of all that."
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
The question today - "What Is The Expansion Tank For On My Plumbing System?"
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
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You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Check a Pro Joe here on the Check A Pro Radio show with my good friend Bobby Crowder,
the family plumber.
Hey,
Bobby,
how are you?
Hey,
how you doing?
I'm living the dream.
Thank you so much for asking.
Hey,
you know,
questions come in here to the studio and,
and actually I think it's a good question because I don't even know the answer to this.
Um I know a lot about plumbing but not as much as my good friend,
(00:23):
Bobby crowd of the family plumber.
The question is,
is what is that thermal expansion tank for in a plumbing system in someone's home?
Oh,
that's,
that's actually a really good question.
So the thermal expansion tanks,
they're,
they're designed to expand and take the,
take the expansion we from like the water heater.
(00:43):
So when the water heater heats up,
it,
the water expands,
you know,
the pressure expands inside the tank.
So instead of damaging the tank itself,
it pulls back into the expansion tank that is pressurized to the same pressure of the home,
incoming pressure of the home.
So when it expands,
it has somewhere to go and that the expansion tank has a bladder in there and it,
(01:06):
it takes that beating,
it takes that expansion.
So it's usually used on closed loop systems.
Um A lot of,
a lot of plumbers um will put them in including our cells if they have like a pressure regulating valve on the home,
which is also kind of like a check valve going back into the city.
So we don't have any of that.
The,
the thermal expansion can go back into the city's plumbing.
(01:29):
But when you have a thermal,
you know,
a check valve somewhere or a closed loop system in the home,
it has nowhere to go.
So what happens if you don't have that on there?
That pressure when you're heating that water up is trying to expand in inside the tank of the water heater and then the loosen it lessens the life of the water heater because it's,
it's putting too much pressure on that tank.
(01:50):
So now the expansion tank takes that beating kind of like a shock absorber.
Yes,
exactly.
Uh,
for,
for the water system,
for water pressure.
Um,
I don't believe most homes have this in line in their plumbing system.
Is that true or am I wrong on that?
No,
they don't,
they don't,
(02:10):
a lot of them don't.
Um,
just,
you know,
it's usually mean for like uh use for the,
like a closed loop system.
Like I was saying,
like it kind of check valve in the main,
you know,
where the water,
when it expands,
it has nowhere to go.
And what happens,
your pipes,
your water heater,
all,
all that takes that expansion,
you know,
tries to build up.
So the expansion tank,
(02:30):
the thermal expansion tank takes that,
which is very,
it's very good to have on your home.
And if a home doesn't have it,
then these other components such as the water heater would be absorbing.
We'll call it shock.
People understand that.
Uh,
what that is when it comes to cars and trucks.
Right.
You know,
if you don't have shock absorbers,
(02:51):
you feel it through your spine.
When you hit the bombs,
the,
the pressure has nowhere to go.
It'll go into the water heater tank,
which isn't a good place for it to be if it doesn't have one of these thermal expansion tanks,
correct.
Because water heater is not designed to expand.
(03:13):
You know,
it,
it,
it,
it doesn't.
So what it does,
that's just putting a lot of tension and pressure on that tank and then over time it can,
it can fail.
So,
like we'll go,
we'll get some water heaters that are,
you know,
it's,
it only leaks a certain time.
Well,
you know why it's leaking because when the water heater is heating up,
it's expanding and it's opening up that crack of that water heater.
And that's why they're seeing a leak here and,
you know,
when it,
here and there,
(03:33):
like in the mornings or at night or,
or whatnot because the water heater is heating up.
So it's expanding a little bit and that leak is co,
is,
is being shown the expansion tank will,
will take care of all that.
I mean,
it won't take care of a leak but it'll,
it'll,
it'll burden the,
you know,
it'll take that effect of the expansion.
Yeah,
I will tell you one thing,
everybody,
you do not want to have water under pressure.
(03:56):
Um,
it could explode,
something could pop and literally explode to a point and then you get a leak after that.
Something called a pressure cooker,
right?
We know what that is.
They make bombs out of those,
but you put a pressure cooker under pressure and that thing could explode.
(04:16):
It's similar to that,
right?
You get a build up of water pressure and um it can explode.
We've heard about these submersibles,
imploding.
It would be the opposite of that,
right.
So the water pressure is not coming from the outside.
Water pressure's on the inside.
It needs to be absorbed,
deplete,
taken away.
And that's what this unit does.
(04:38):
Exactly what the thermal expansion tank does.
It takes,
takes away from that from the system of the home.
If you're interested in one contact,
my good friend,
Bobby Crowder,
the family plumber,
if you have any plumbing need at all,
clearing a drainin,
putting a new water heater in.
How about a new kitchen faucet garbage disposal?
My friend Bobby Crowder.
Can do it at the family plumber.
(04:58):
Hey,
Bobby,
as always,
thank you so much for joining me today on the program.
Thanks for having me on John.
I appreciate it.
Check a Pro Joe here on the Check A Pro Radio show with my good friend Bobby Crowder,
the family plumber.
Hey,
Bobby,
how are you?
Hey,
how you doing?
I'm living the dream.
Thank you so much for asking.
Hey,
you know,
questions come in here to the studio and,
and actually I think it's a good question because I don't even know the answer to this.
Um I know a lot about plumbing but not as much as my good friend,
(00:23):
Bobby crowd of the family plumber.
The question is,
is what is that thermal expansion tank for in a plumbing system in someone's home?
Oh,
that's,
that's actually a really good question.
So the thermal expansion tanks,
they're,
they're designed to expand and take the,
take the expansion we from like the water heater.
(00:43):
So when the water heater heats up,
it,
the water expands,
you know,
the pressure expands inside the tank.
So instead of damaging the tank itself,
it pulls back into the expansion tank that is pressurized to the same pressure of the home,
incoming pressure of the home.
So when it expands,
it has somewhere to go and that the expansion tank has a bladder in there and it,
(01:06):
it takes that beating,
it takes that expansion.
So it's usually used on closed loop systems.
Um A lot of,
a lot of plumbers um will put them in including our cells if they have like a pressure regulating valve on the home,
which is also kind of like a check valve going back into the city.
So we don't have any of that.
The,
the thermal expansion can go back into the city's plumbing.
(01:29):
But when you have a thermal,
you know,
a check valve somewhere or a closed loop system in the home,
it has nowhere to go.
So what happens if you don't have that on there?
That pressure when you're heating that water up is trying to expand in inside the tank of the water heater and then the loosen it lessens the life of the water heater because it's,
it's putting too much pressure on that tank.
(01:50):
So now the expansion tank takes that beating kind of like a shock absorber.
Yes,
exactly.
Uh,
for,
for the water system,
for water pressure.
Um,
I don't believe most homes have this in line in their plumbing system.
Is that true or am I wrong on that?
No,
they don't,
they don't,
(02:10):
a lot of them don't.
Um,
just,
you know,
it's usually mean for like uh use for the,
like a closed loop system.
Like I was saying,
like it kind of check valve in the main,
you know,
where the water,
when it expands,
it has nowhere to go.
And what happens,
your pipes,
your water heater,
all,
all that takes that expansion,
you know,
tries to build up.
So the expansion tank,
(02:30):
the thermal expansion tank takes that,
which is very,
it's very good to have on your home.
And if a home doesn't have it,
then these other components such as the water heater would be absorbing.
We'll call it shock.
People understand that.
Uh,
what that is when it comes to cars and trucks.
Right.
You know,
if you don't have shock absorbers,
(02:51):
you feel it through your spine.
When you hit the bombs,
the,
the pressure has nowhere to go.
It'll go into the water heater tank,
which isn't a good place for it to be if it doesn't have one of these thermal expansion tanks,
correct.
Because water heater is not designed to expand.
(03:13):
You know,
it,
it,
it,
it doesn't.
So what it does,
that's just putting a lot of tension and pressure on that tank and then over time it can,
it can fail.
So,
like we'll go,
we'll get some water heaters that are,
you know,
it's,
it only leaks a certain time.
Well,
you know why it's leaking because when the water heater is heating up,
it's expanding and it's opening up that crack of that water heater.
And that's why they're seeing a leak here and,
you know,
when it,
here and there,
(03:33):
like in the mornings or at night or,
or whatnot because the water heater is heating up.
So it's expanding a little bit and that leak is co,
is,
is being shown the expansion tank will,
will take care of all that.
I mean,
it won't take care of a leak but it'll,
it'll,
it'll burden the,
you know,
it'll take that effect of the expansion.
Yeah,
I will tell you one thing,
everybody,
you do not want to have water under pressure.
(03:56):
Um,
it could explode,
something could pop and literally explode to a point and then you get a leak after that.
Something called a pressure cooker,
right?
We know what that is.
They make bombs out of those,
but you put a pressure cooker under pressure and that thing could explode.
(04:16):
It's similar to that,
right?
You get a build up of water pressure and um it can explode.
We've heard about these submersibles,
imploding.
It would be the opposite of that,
right.
So the water pressure is not coming from the outside.
Water pressure's on the inside.
It needs to be absorbed,
deplete,
taken away.
And that's what this unit does.
(04:38):
Exactly what the thermal expansion tank does.
It takes,
takes away from that from the system of the home.
If you're interested in one contact,
my good friend,
Bobby Crowder,
the family plumber,
if you have any plumbing need at all,
clearing a drainin,
putting a new water heater in.
How about a new kitchen faucet garbage disposal?
My friend Bobby Crowder.
Can do it at the family plumber.
(04:58):
Hey,
Bobby,
as always,
thank you so much for joining me today on the program.
Thanks for having me on John.
I appreciate it.
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