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Why Your Professional Installer

Recommends

a Thermal Expansion Tank

Built to be the Best™

HOMEOWNERS

H AMERICAN MADE H

H AMERICAN OWNED H WHOLESALE ONLY H

www.bradfordwhite.com

©2016, Bradford White Corporation. All rights reserved. ETB-0616

WHY YOUR

PROFESSIONAL

INSTALLER

RECOMMENDS

AN EXPANSION TANK

- It protects your new water

heater and maximizes its

product lifetime.

- It reduces the stress on your

hot water system and its various

components including pipes,

fittings, fixtures, and even

your appliances.

- It may be required to meet your

local plumbing and safety codes.

Sometimes the simplest

solution is the best solution.

A thermal expansion tank

is a small, pre-pressurized

tank with a compressible air

cushion (diaphragm) that is

installed on the supply side

(cold water inlet) of a water

heater. If the heating and

thermal expansion of water creates excess pressure within the

water heater, excess water is forced into the expansion tank,

keeping pressure levels within the normal operating range of the

water heater.

Thermal Expansion and Your Water Heater

Thermal expansion is the term used to describe the

expansion of water volume due to heating.

All water heaters, regardless of heat-source (gas, oil, electric,

solar or indirect), can experience thermal expansion. In every

tank-type water heater, cold water is heated as it enters the

water heater tank. This increases the overall water volume and

pressure inside the tank, which must be relieved to avoid the

potentially negative effects of thermal expansion.

Under Pressure with No Place to Go

In the past, domestic hot water systems were “open” systems.

So when the volume of heated water exceeded tank capacity,

it simply flowed back out to the city main or water well.

But today’s plumbing regulations

require the integration of

backflow preventers or check

valves, primarily to keep the

water in your home from the

possibility of contaminating

the water supply. As a result,

present-day hot water

systems are considered

“closed” systems.

In a closed system, and without

taking the proper precautions,

the expanded water has no

place to go. The resulting

pressure increase will cause

your water heater’s temperature

and pressure (T&P) relief valve to

trigger, expelling the additional

pressure and water volume

through the valve.

T&P Valves – EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY

Your water heater’s temperature and pressure (T&P) relief valve

is designed as a safety device to be used primarily in emergency

cases, not on a regular,

daily basis to relieve

pressure caused by typical

thermal expansion. Relying

solely on the T&P valve to

accommodate for thermal

expansion wastes water and

energy, and may cause the

valve to prematurely fail.

The Negative Effects of Thermal Expansion

Even before the T&P relief valve is triggered (usually at 150 psi),

excessive pressure levels caused by thermal expansion can

exert forces that have negative effects on your hot water system,

such as:

As the pressure within the

water heater normalizes

(typically after there’s a call

for hot water within the

home), the water within the

expansion tank is forced

back into the water heater

by the diaphragm, and the

potentially harmful effects

of thermal expansion

are eliminated.

- Premature product failure

- Damaged or collapsed center flue

- Decreased product performance,

efficiency, and product life

- Damage to water heater connections

and your home’s piping system

- Decreased life of your home’s water

fixtures and appliances

- Noisy water hammer in your

home’s pipes

EXPANSION TANKS – A SIMPLE

SOUTION TO THERMAL EXPANSION

Open System

Closed System

From Tank

Back To Tank

Expanded

Water

Compressed

Water

Compressed

Air Cushion

Expanding

Air Cushion

Water Flow

Water

Flow

T&P

Check Valve