What’s a water heater’s primary goal? Unsurprisingly, it’s to heat water! However, in order to ensure you get the maximum years out of your heater, there is undoubtedly some value in knowing a few of the in’s and out’s of this irreplaceable plumbing component. Throughout today’s blog, we’ll discuss a handful of the important pieces that help make a water heater function. Many of these pieces you should be able to spot on your own heater and hopefully by having some general knowledge about them, you’ll be able to tell when something may not be right!
If this is your first time stopping by our blog, welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing! As a one-stop plumbing business serving the entire Kansas City area, we primarily utilize our blog as a way to educate homeowners and business owners on how to properly manage their plumbing system. From comparing different brands of faucets to going over the basics of routine maintenance and so much more, we try to provide a wide range of content. As mentioned above, today we’ll be focusing on a plumbing piece that we talk about quite often and that is your water heater. We’ll discuss a few of the key components and show why they’re so important to the overall operation.
Expansion Tank
If you take a look at your water heater, you should notice a second smaller tank connected towards the top, which is known as a thermal expansion tank. Before we dive into the actual purpose and goal of an expansion tank, it’s important to understand that expansion tanks have become a must-have for anyone with a traditional storage tank water heater. By having a general understanding of a water heater’s main processes, it’s not hard to see why the expansion tank is so important.
As the water inside the tank is heated, it expands. Temperature goes up, volume goes up as well. When this happens, this excess pressure needs somewhere to go. And if there is nowhere for it to go, it will put extra pressure on the primary water tank, eventually resulting in extra wear and tear on the unit before turning into leaks and possibly worse troubles. With that all being said, while merely having an expansion tank is very important, you’re also going to want to make sure it’s sized correctly. Sizing an expansion tank is based on a few different factors, including the size of the primary tank and the water pressure. If you’re unsure of what size is needed, give your local plumber a call to have them check it out. Believe us, there’s a reason why expansion tanks are required just about everywhere nowadays.
In the end, we strongly recommend utilizing an expansion tank. If you don’t already have one installed on your heater, it would definitely be a smart move to get one installed as soon as possible.
Want to learn more about expansion tanks? We have a previous blog post that covers them in more detail. Check it out HERE.
T&P Valve
Generally located on the side of your tank (towards the top), you should see a valve that has a discharge tube connected to it. The discharge tube should run down the side of your tank. This valve is known as a T&P valve, also referred to as a temperature and pressure relief valve. Much like the expansion tank discussed above, the T&P valve is extremely important in preventing real water heater emergencies from occurring, of which includes water heaters actually exploding! If the pressure or temperature of the water heater were to get too high, the T&P valve is there to relieve some of this excess pressure. It’s generally a requirement everywhere and is arguably one of the most important safety measures you can have installed.
Flue Pipe
If you have a gas-powered water heater, you’ll notice there’s a pipe coming down to the center of the top of the tank. This is what we call the flue pipe. In essence, you’re always going to need some type of venting system with a natural gas water heater. And just like each of the two components above, this is also a must-have safety feature. When the gas-powered water heater is working, it’ll create exhaust gases through combustion. The venting system is responsible for taking these exhaust gases out of the water heater and to the outdoors.
With electric water heaters, you’ll have an electrical supply line that comes down to the top of the heater.
Shut-Off Valve
If you’ve followed some of our prior blog posts, you may have heard the phrase, “shut-off valve,” once or twice before. In fact, one of the more common references of this comes in regards to major plumbing emergencies, such as bursted pipe. It doesn’t take long for water damage to become quite costly and that is why we always recommend knowing where your main water shut-off valve is. This main shut-off can help limit the overall damage of the leak.
However, for the sake of this blog, we’ll be looking at the topic specifically from the perspective of your water heater. You should see a small valve on the cold water supply lines connected to the top of your water heater tank. If you were to need repairs to your water heater in the future, this helps ensure they can be done without shutting off the water to the entire house. The plumbing technician can simply shut off water to the heater and make the necessary repairs or perform an annual flush of sediment build-up.
Other Pieces
Long story short, water heater units are actually a little more complex than you might initially expect. Throughout this blog post thus far, we touched on a handful of the components that are readily visible. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty more items to discuss. From the thermostat and anode rod to the drain valve and hot water outlet pipe, it really is interesting to take a look at the anatomy of water heaters.
Water Heater Repair and Installation in Kansas City
We hope you all enjoyed this educational blog on some of the basic components behind a functioning water heater. While we weren’t able to cover every single piece, we tried to emphasize a few of the more popular ones, especially a handful of safety-related elements. If you’re like most homeowners, chances are the water heater isn’t something you regularly think of, unless something were to go awry. If this is you, you’re definitely not alone! After all, it’s easy to just expect there to be hot water any time you hop in the shower or turn on a faucet.
Luckily, with some simple routine maintenance, you can not only plan ahead when something may not be functioning correctly, but also ensure you get the maximum years out of your water heater investment. As a general rule of thumb, a well-maintained storage tank water heater should be able to last you 12-14 years. Some may last longer, some may last shorter, but this tends to be the general consensus nowadays. Our residential and commercial teams here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing have plenty of experience with water heaters. Whether that be repairs or replacements, we’re always ready to help, so you don’t have to go very long without hot water. To receive a free quote on a project, feel free to give us a call at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form HERE.