An little 84 year old lady had a new 30 gallon hot water heater installed and charged the a $273 labor rate of a Box Store. She lives in town and the water pressure is about 40 psi. About 3 months later she gets up early one morning to find the carpeting in a nearby bedroom, hallway, and closet soaked.
The copper main water line comes into the house through an outside wall in one of the front bedrooms. In that outside wall is where the slow and steady leak developed.
My question: Could the new Hot Water Heater have pressured up and caused the leak? Should a check valve have been placed between the cold water pipe and the cold water inlet to protect any abnormal pressure from being put on the inside main water line?
Thanks,
Bill
Replies
If there is a check valve or pressure reducing valve in the line coming into the house, the water heater can cause high pressure in the house pipes. But any water heater would do this -- a new one is no more likely to than the old one (if it was working at all).
The proper way to deal with this situation (pressure reducing valve or check valve) is to install an expansion tank.
an expansion tank on the cold inlet side? if so why there? wouldn't it's purpose be better served on the hot outlet?
The expansion tank can be anywhere downstream of the pressure reducing/check valve. Usually on the cold side because the tanks aren't speced to deal with hot water.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
ok now I see. I misread the last sentence of your post
No.
" In that outside wall is where the slow and steady leak developed."
If water pressure caused a rupture you WOULD NOT HAVE A SLOW AND STEADY LEAK. IT WOULD BE A BIG SPRAY.
And the WH is suppose to have Pressure and Tempature release valve which discharges if the pressure is over 150 PSI protecting the plumbing and the tank from explosion.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
A. The incoming pressure is low; 60-65 is average. B.You should not need an expansion tank or check valve. C. Without knowing the age or the actual run of the pipe I don't think that the WH had anything to do with it; sorry.
"If all else fails, read the directions"
The incoming pressure MAY be low. But sometimes you're at the bottom of a hill, and the incoming pressure is 100 or better. Then you need the pressure reducing valve.Plus many localities now require a backflow valve that can similarly cause pressure buildup in the home water system due to expansion in the water heater.So in either of these cases an expansion tank is recommended.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Sorry , but you are reading something that the original post did not say; incoming pressure is incoming pressure, it dosen't matter where it comes from. I think we are talking about something that dosen'n pertain to the original post.
Incoming pressure is ASSUMED to be low. And we don't have a clear picture of where it's incoming from, or what's on the other side of the wall.(In any event, assuming that the T/P valve was properly installed, the replacement of the water heater did not cause the leak. I think we agree on that.)
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
"A. The incoming pressure is low; 60-65 is average. B.You should not need an expansion tank or check valve."Just to make it clear for lurkers. Many PWD are now installing some form of checkvalve or backflow preventer valve at the meter.When this is done an expansion tank is needed, regardless of nominal supply pressure..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.