When a closed system exists on the water distribution piping in a home, an expansion tank needs to be installed somewhere on the plumbing system. This creates what is called a ‘closed system’. The problem that these regulators can create is that they will act as a check valve they’ll allow water into the home, but they won’t allow water back out. In Minnesota, it’s rare for a check valve to be installed on the water supply line for the house, but it’s fairly common to have a pressure regulator installed. This doesn’t happen every time that a pressure reducing valve or check valve is installed, but there may be other problems that show up in the house, such as the toilet fill valves randomly re-filling toilets, or faucets chronically dripping. Here’s a short video clip showing this happening: It relieves the excess pressure by leaking a little bit of water. When the pressure builds up enough, the temperature and pressure relief valve on the water heater simply does its job. As the water heater heats the water, it expands, which builds up pressure. What happens when a one-way valve, or check valve, gets installed on the water supply piping for the house? This is illustrated in the diagram below. The municipal water supply for the house acts as a gigantic expansion tank… and nobody notices. When this happens, where does the water go? Right back out the cold water inlet, all the way back to the water supply coming into the house. When a water heater fires up, the water in the tank expands. ![]() Why most Minnesota homes don’t have a problem with excessive water pressure To help understand what this is all about, please read on. ![]() When a water heater is connected to a closed system, an expansion tank must be installed to prevent excessive pressure in the water.
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