expansion tank

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SGkent

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Joined
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1st post here. Hi Y'all.

Planning to install an expansion tank to cold water supply / hot water heater this weekend. At some future time the tank might need to be swapped out if it were to fail. I am not sure I can get enough torque on the tank to screw it in tightly or unscrew it by holding the fitting with a wrench and trying to turn the tank by hand. Didn't want to build a big strap wrench or get into future cutting and soldering to remove it although that is always a simple solution. I read up on coupling unions and it seems like DIY folks have trouble getting them to seal up so this seemed like a possible solution but I don't know if it is acceptable in the world of plumbing.

Here is the proposed solution: 3/4 line from cold supply to 3/4 female NPT [disconnect point] 3/4 male NPT with a short extension to the coupling that screws onto the tank. I would think I can get a good seal between the two couplings, and wrenches on them solid enough to make and break them as needed. Will that work or should I just build it and plan on cutting the copper if some day it has to be exchanged.


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no responses I see. Active forum or no one has an answer.

Maybe I'll just add a ball valve with threads, and use a short extension between the tank and that. I should be able to break a connection between a valve and coupling screwed into it.

Thank you.
 
Must have caught us during a lull. You can sweat on a tee and attach the tank directly to it if you're doing some soldering anyways. Having a ball valve installed on the cold supply before the tee will allow you to shut off the water and service the expansion tank. Using an adjustable wrench you should get plenty of grip for a solid threaded seal. Be sure to check your house pressure and pressurize the tank with air to match it.

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no responses I see. Active forum or no one has an answer.

Maybe I'll just add a ball valve with threads, and use a short extension between the tank and that. I should be able to break a connection between a valve and coupling screwed into it.

Thank you.

Sorry SGkent. Our experts are at work all day and the forum is the last thing on their minds. Once they return home, take a shower to get the gunk off their bodies, kick the wife and kiss the dog (or vice versa), and grab a beer, then they will respond to your needs. :D

Thanks for your understanding!
 
no strap wrench needed, run your piping install a tee with a male adaptor looking down, install a threaded ball valve on adaptor

screw the tank into the ball valve... it is large enough to use the tank itself as your leverage/wrench

just turn the tank by hand till tight

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Thank you. The model at the local hardware did not have a spot on it for a wrench but upon blowing up photos of the unit I bought online it does have a spot for a wrench so that should solve it. I like the idea of just screwing it to the end of the ball valve as you suggested. That will make it easy to turn off and replace as needed. Thank you.
 
back to square one. After reading Amtrol's new instructions and FAQ they want the tank so air doesn't get trapped on the water side so it has to be vertical and face up. Read over and over. They no longer suggest upside down or on the side - in fact they say don't do it. That means I can't do it like I planned because air will get trapped above it. After studying the wall - AC, water pipes, gas lines, where the studs are, I think the only way to make this work is to cut a steel or aluminum plate wide enough to mount the bracket and move the tank where it will fit alongside the hot water heater. I am thinking 3 lag screws into a stud will support 40 pounds if the tank ever fills with water. The plate will be probably 5.25" tall and 7" wide. Anyone see a problem with that? I can't go all the way between studs because there is a shelf bracket that I would have to deal with. That could be done if I routed the back of a board out for the shelf bracket but I think a steel or aluminum plate on one stud would carry the load. I am just a DIY and don't know if there is something I am missing here.

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maybe a 12" x 7" piece of plywood with 4 lag bolts and washers on the stud with short carriage bolts from behind to hold the bracket. The heads of the carriage bolts should sit right down into the drywall. I would think that that load would be spread out over 12" of the stud making it unlikely the stud would split - or is this a bad idea? I have always tied heavy things between two studs but this time it is perplexing.
 
well it is apparent that age has caught up with me because I no longer think out of the box. One of the guys here who has a handyman business on the side said just notch a piece of plywood to go around the shelf and you'll be able to tie into that stud. I am so duh on these things.

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Actually, I think it looks pretty. It's all painted up to disguise the plywood. Looks great to me! Good job!
 
After reading Amtrol's new instructions and FAQ they want the tank so air doesn't get trapped on the water side so it has to be vertical and face up. Read over and over.

They no longer suggest upside down or on the side - in fact they say don't do it.

:confused:

I was going to question the manufacturer's reasoning for their recommended tank positioning but went to their site- http://www.amtrol.com/video.html -to try to find their reasoning.

Seems all of my questions were answered.

Now I a$$-u-me this only apples to AMTROL tanks as they have addressed my concerns, those being stagnate water, bacteria and sediment dispersal.

I would still be concerned with orientation of any other manufacturer's tank.

TET (DHW System) _2 - Install Positions.jpg
 

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