this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023
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An expansion tank is necessary for water heaters, because the process of heating water causes it to expand. Without an expansion tank, pressure could build to unsafe levels
If it's necessary then how did my last tank make it 20 years without one?
Honestly, I don't know, I'm not a plumber. There are a couple possibilities, including that it was built into the water heater or the relief valve did it's thing. Some water heaters don't need expansion tanks at all, either. It's generally a "just in case" thing, since the right failures in the wrong way could lead to a hot water bomb going off in your house.
Yeah but that was like the coolest mythbusters episode ever /s