Quote:
Originally Posted by Berwin
Why do water heaters in Florida homes have expansion tanks?
|
They have expansion tanks to prevent pressure build up when water is heated and expands.
All homes have a backflow preventer installed to protect the city water supply. This device prevents water from flowing out of your house back into the main lines. When cold water is heated it expands and takes up more space. With your faucets closed and the backflow preventer in place the expanding water has no place to go. With nowhere to go, the expansion causes the water pressure inside your home to increase, potentially to a point where something breaks.
In my home, the increased pressure forced its way out of my shower. I could see that it had leaked throughout the night and I was looking into faucet valve replacements.
The expansion tank provides a space for the water to expand into. Instead of increasing pressure in the lines, the water flows into the tank. The pressure in the lines may increase a tiny amount but nothing like the increase if there was no room for expansion.
I was lucky and was able to repair my tank. I also bought a replacement that now sits in the box ready to be installed when it is needed.