Water heater expansion tanks. Why are they an extra?

[CAJUNLAWYER]

I have never seen an expansion tank installed quite like that one!

Looks like a big white *** with a blue *****
My heater is outside my home in a little shed affixed to the outside wall of the house. If she blows, she blows. When it inevitable happens, I call my friend (plumber), he picks up one from the supply store while I partially deconstruct the shed to get at the old one. About an hour job to swap them out-about another hour for me to reconstruct the shed.
Take the old one to the boat launch for the kids to shoot up (Just kidding-I take it to the transfer station)

 

[yaktamer]

We have our "primary residence" (in IRS speak) AND a little lake place (a "secondary residence" per IRS definitions). Both of them were purchased in the last 10-11 years, both are paid off, and both are worth about double what we paid for them.

So, even though ownership means making an ongoing investment in maintenance and repairs, I have still come out WAY ahead in the long run. That is how it has worked out for me.

The alternative is to "OWN nothing - and be happy" - as those behind THE GREAT RESET have said.

Personally, I prefer the more traditional idea of BUILDING wealth and an inheritance for my children - and their children.

But that's JMO, and as always, YMMV....

Actually, the thinking behind your version of building wealth and the "own nothing" theory are essentially the same: OWE nothing.

 

[jeffrefrig]

My sister bought a fairly new house down in Charleston, SC. Some area called John's Island. Built on a slab, and the water heater and furnace is in the attic, just waiting to cause serious water damage. They put in a new furnace/AC system when they moved in. I told them to get a service contract with the installer, but BIL said it's new so they don't need one! The air filter is in the return air grate in the ceiling. Just looking at it I can see it's installed wrong. I didn't say a thing, but I told them now is when you want to start a maintenance contract, not when the coil &/or drains are plugged up. But what do I know?! Also, he thinks he has a heat pump. That's the 1st one I saw with no reversing valve. They are both good people and I don't wish any damage to their house, but this isn't something you cheap out on. I mentioned something about changing the oil in his car...crickets!!

 

[mtgianni]

My sister bought a fairly new house down in Charleston, SC. Some area called John's Island. Built on a slab, and the water heater and furnace is in the attic, just waiting to cause serious water damage. They put in a new furnace/AC system when they moved in. I told them to get a service contract with the installer, but BIL said it's new so they don't need one! The air filter is in the return air grate in the ceiling. Just looking at it I can see it's installed wrong. I didn't say a thing, but I told them now is when you want to start a maintenance contract, not when the coil &/or drains are plugged up. But what do I know?! Also, he thinks he has a heat pump. That's the 1st one I saw with no reversing valve. They are both good people and I don't wish any damage to their house, but this isn't something you cheap out on. I mentioned something about changing the oil in his car...crickets!!

If the water heater is done right, it should be in a leak proof pan and have a drain in the pan going to a plumbed in drain or outside. In Montana it isn't uncommon to see a rubber stock tank in a crawl space install. If it fills with water, you bucket it then punch a small hole.

 

[LVSteve]

...and in order to bring it up to code, they put in an expansion tank. I'm not sure what the benefit is, I never needed one before. I'll have to look it up. BUT:

IF THE FIX INVOLVES RUNNING PIPES IN THE CEILING watch out for freezing. I lived in a slab house that had pipes in the cellings and they froze. While we were at work the pipes thawed out. There were five splits all around the house and the ceiling fell in. It was an awful mess.

Details are a little short, but I'm pretty sure the plumber plans to run the pipes in the ceiling between the ground and floor and the upstairs. Here in Vegas we are fortunate that long, very hard, freezes like the one they had in Texas a few years ago are highly unlikely.

If the plumber wants to go up into the attic area, there is fibreglass up the wazoo in there to keep the heat out of the house. I'm getting second opions on this job, and I'll want some detail as to how the task will be achieved before I cut a deposit.

 

[BC38]

Well water here so expansion tank is part of the normal operating system.They seem to last about 25 years before the bladder ruptures.

I'm not sure you are talking about the same thing that this thread is about.

If you have a private well, with an underground pump and an above-ground "expansion tank", that is different from the water heater expansion tank that this thread is all about.

I just got back from my mom's place in southern Arizona where everyone has their own private well. The well/pumping system on mom's property includes an 80-gallon tank with a 40-gallon internal bladder to regulate pressure and reduce the "start up" load on the submersible pump in their well. I had to pay someone to replace their pressure tank because the internal bladder had developed a leak.

FWIW. that is a different situation/issue than installing a little 2-3 gallon expansion tank on a water heater.

The overall principle is pretty much the same - but in the case of the water heater - the job (and the costs) are on a much smaller scale.

Owning and maintaining a private well raises things to a whole 'nother level compared to maintaining your home's plumbing when you are connected to a public water system.

I very recently learned all about that - the HARD way - trying to solve the water supply issues at my mom's place.

 

[DWalt]

Details are a little short, but I'm pretty sure the plumber plans to run the pipes in the ceiling between the ground and floor and the upstairs. Here in Vegas we are fortunate that long, very hard, freezes like the one they had in Texas a few years ago are highly unlikely..

We had a 1/4" copper tubing line in the attic, the water line to the refrigerator ice maker, rupture during the great Texas freeze of 2022. One split about 1/2" long. But it did a huge amount of damage.

 

[BC38]

We had a 1/4" copper tubing line in the attic, the water line to the refrigerator ice maker, rupture during the great Texas freeze of 2022. One split about 1/2" long. But it did a huge amount of damage.

Yeah, it is amazing how much damage can be done by even the smallest leak in the smallest water line...

 

[DWalt]

Yes. Had to replace the wood dining room floor, half of the kitchen ceiling, and about 20 sf of wallboard.

 

[bgrafsr]

Well water here so expansion tank is part of the normal operating system.They seem to last about 25 years before the bladder ruptures.

That's what I'm wondering about our tank. The previous owner had well water and then changed over to the Rural water Authority. You can see the capped off well water system in the photo.

 

[cmj8591]

At least nobody called it a hot water heater

I'm ashamed to say I scanned this whole post looking for that.

 

[BC38]

Actually, the thinking behind your version of building wealth and the "own nothing" theory are essentially the same: OWE nothing.

Yeah OWING nothing should be the ultimate goal for everyone IMO.

But when you're too old to work and owe nothing but also OWN nothing that's a much worse position to be in than owing nothing and owning a home that is worth a few hundred thousand bucks!

When you don't have sufficient income and own nothing, the welfare system determines where and how you live - and in some cases THEY even determine IF you live (rationed/poorer health care).

On the other hand, when you don't have enough income and you can sell your home and have a few hundred grand to invest, then YOU get a lot more say-so about where and how you live and what kind of care you get.

I'll take door number 2 thank you