Potable Water Expansion Tank Leaking

But sometimes due to wear and tear your expansion tank may start leaking.

Potable water expansion tank leaking.

The reason you need an expansion tank is because of thermal expansion. This is called thermal expansion. Remove the intake pipe from the boiler to the circulator. Leaks tend to travel down with gravity if you see evidence of a leak above the tank then it s likely at the top of that evidence not the bottom.

When this happens excess water is immediately sent to the expansion tank to lower pressure levels inside the water heater. Step 3 repair expansion tank. Unequal water to air ratios caused by a built in barrier failure pressure valve leakage or low air pressure in the expansion tank cause problems with the system s efficiency so troubleshooting may. For example a 50 gallon water heater can be supplied by a 2 gallon expansion tank.

It may be leaking from the threads in the tank since the tank is wet on the outside. Turn off the valve that feeds water from the boiler to the expansion tank. When water in a tank water heater is heated the molecules speed up and as they do they require more space. You can also drain the water into a bucket if you don t have a hose available.

If the leak comes from the pipe fiting seen at the top of the tank. Then re tighten the threads using teflon tape and thread sealant on the threads. What is the life expectancy of expansion tanks. 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.

The system has a stainless steel sleeve to prevent corrosion something no other manufacturer offers. I can t tell from the photo if it s on the heating system or on the home water supply. If the tank is on the hot water heating system then it s there to relieve expansion from the water being heated. Can i fix a leak in my watts potable water expansion tank myself or do i need to call in a professional.

The life expectancy of expansion tanks is very. Attach a hose to the outlet valve and drain any water out of the expansion tank. If you have several heaters in the same system or connected you can equip each heater with an expansion tank or you can use a single larger expansion tank. And the tanks are finished with appliance quality paint to help prevent external corrosion.

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. When water is heated or the hot water is shut off quickly the tanks filled with both air and water will equalize the resulting water pressure. Try shutting off the water and unthreading the tank.