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Mine looks like this. I cut into the line to the water heater and put in the T. Then a short piece of pipe that connects into another Shark Bite that has the fitting on one end and a threaded adapter for the tank on the other.Originally Posted by th3w01f
My worry is my lack of DIY skills and not the cost (although I don't want to pay the $500+ I'm sure a plumbing company would charge to install an expansion tank on Sunday). I've never soldered a pipe and I'm not sure this is the time to start.. I'm confident I could cut the check valve out and use compression fittings to get it back to the way it was.
If you're that confident for the task, you're more than capable of installing the tank
There's no time like the present to learn.
Every home repair and improvement we did started with saying what the hell, have to learn some time.
Last edited by Great-Kazoo; 03-25-2017 at 23:23.
The Great Kazoo's Feedback
"when you're happy you enjoy the melody but, when you're broken you understand the lyrics".
It's funny that you brought this up as I'm having the exact same issue. They replaced one of my 2 water heaters and a water circulation pump just before I bought my house. A couple of months later, I had the second water heater replaced under warranty. I still have water dribbling out on the floor so I put some catch pans under the various heaters and vent pipes to see what, exactly, was still leaking...
Turns out it was the pressure relief valve on the #1 water heater. Did a little reading and am convinced that I need one of those expansion tanks to moderate the pressure spikes. It's on my list of things to do, too. Gotta sit and think about the logic of the system to figure out where it should be placed based on how the 2 water heaters are plumbed to the water system.
Fun times as a homeowner.
No longer accepting new Trust clients. Pretty much out of the law business completely.
I'm going to give this a try and I guess the worst that should happen is that I have to call a plumber in the morning.
Let me know if these steps look correct.
Leave check valve in place -
1. Turn off power to boiler system (leave recirc and house water on)
2. Drain domestic hot water line
3. Turn off house water and hot water recirc pump.
4. Drain water tank and water lines
5. Install expansion tank between check valve and water inlet of hot water tank
6. Turn everything back on in reverse order
1.5 allow enough circulation for heater to completely cool
Also expansion tank pressure needs to domestic pressure if it is too low it will fill up before any heating expansion takes place set the pressure before filling with water
You sir, are a specialist in the art of discovering a welcoming outcome of a particular situation....not a mechanic.
My feedback add 11-12 ish before the great servpocaylpse of 2012
The best way to know if you need one is if you have any check valve or backflow preventer you need an expansion tank. With a lack of back flow preventer it will just push against the city pressure and not pop or valve.
How'd it go?
I took the easy way out. The check valve was installed with sharkbites so I just pulled it out and replaced it with a straight piece of pipe. No leaks and no TP blowoff since. I also figured out that the check valve on the hot water circulation has failed so once that's replaced our hot water should be working much better.
Expansion tanks are, in most cases, a lot more trouble and hassle than they are worth. They have a higher failure rate than water heaters and provide little, if any protection for the system. On a boiler, definitely yes.
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