Expansion Tank?

A homeowner reported that last week his thermostat malfunctioned on the hot water heater the additional heat build up caused more pressure in in the pipes which caused one to rupture, spilling water from the attic all the way down to the laundry room, kitchen, dinning room, and living room, causing extensive water damage. It was noted while replacing his hot water heater by an engineer with York County Natural Gas and by a South Carolina certified plumber that had an expansion tank been installed the line would probably not have ruptured.

After some investigation it has been found out that if your incoming water pressure is 80 psi or greater you are required by County Building Codes to have an expansion tank installed, at time of construction. The water pressure in this neighborhood can average between 70 and 90 psi depending how you have your pressure regulator valve adjusted. This valve is located under the emergency cut off switch installed in the hall closet outside the laundry room in phase 1 homes.

An expansion tank can be purchased at Lowe's for $40 and installed by a plumber for about $100 and is installed on the cold water side of the pipe just before it enters the hot water heater,

Most phase 1 homes do not have this installed and should consider adding one, to reduce the chance of a pipe failure.

The incident that occurred last week on Harpers Inlet Dr is the second such incident at a home in Harpers Mill this year.