“Tank Water Heaters”
Most homes today still have a tank water heater. Your tank water heater is simply of boiling pot of water connected to your water system and ready to be used in the house. You may have a 30gal, 40gal, 50gal, 60gal, 75gal or 100 gallon water heater. The size of your water heater depends on the size of your home and family.
There are three drawbacks to a tank water heater. One is that it can run out of hot water. Two is that it is always heating up the water in the tank even if nobody is using hot water in the house. And three is that it takes up a lot of space. Gas heaters are governed by a “Low Nox” law (Nitrous Oxide gas emissions). This is simply an efficiency standard for the green house gas emissions from the heaters. As long as you have a knowledgeable plumber you shouldn’t have to worry about all this technical information.
There are rules for the installation of a water heater. Let me summarize the overview of these codes. An up to code water heater will be installed with safety in mind including the following: 1. earthquake straps 2. T&P valve with drain exiting to a visible area 3. Smithy pan exiting to a visible area 4. double wall venting exiting through the roof OPTIONAL FEATURES 5. Expansion tanks prolong the life of your heater.
According to manufacturers of water heaters it is always recommended that you use an expansion tank. There is a thing called thermal expansion. Thermal expansion is the expansion of water when it is heated. When water heats and then cools you have expansion that happens inside the water lines followed by contraction. Throughout the day this happens many times as you use your hot water in the house. An expansion tank will absorb the expansion and contraction so your water heater doesn’t have to. In addition to prolonging the life of your heater it will also prevent your water heater from blowing up in an extreme case.