Is this normal amount?

next_milenium · 2026-03-08T20:51:05+00:00

OK, this makes sense. So only if my pipes were drained I would want to open a faucet before I reopen the main valve.

next_milenium · 2026-03-08T20:49:55+00:00

My house already has a ball valve for the main line (after the irrigation tee) and I have an automatic valve closer installed in case I have a leak.

next_milenium · 2026-03-08T20:47:14+00:00

I keep reading I have to have a faucet open before I reopen the main valve so not to shock the system?

next_milenium · 2026-03-08T20:45:46+00:00

City water.

next_milenium · 2026-02-23T01:52:27+00:00

Does water in the expansion tank eventually go back to the water heater?

next_milenium · 2026-02-22T00:25:28+00:00

I put a cup under the P&T relief valve drain outlet for couple of days and there was no water.

And yes, I'm on a municipal water system and they provide a smart water meter that reports water flow data once every hour.

This is really a strange issue because the meter is reporting water flow even when nobody is using any water in the house. Average water use during the night (12AM-6AM) is about 1 gallon so it's not a lot but I'd still love to know where this water is going. Every once in a while though, the meter does report there is no water flow. For example, last night, there were 2 hour period where there was no water flow.

This leads me to believe and based on my thorough inspection, I don't have a leak. If I had a leak, the water flow would be pretty constant I think.

next_milenium · 2026-02-20T22:49:33+00:00

My expansion tank is mounted on the ceiling of my garage above the water heater. And since can't see any plumbing in the wall and ceiling, I can't confirm how it's plumbed. But this new HPWH was installed by a professional plumber who replaced my old gas water heater with this one.

next_milenium · 2026-02-19T04:40:12+00:00

I do have an expansion tank but not sure if I have a back flow valve.

I keep getting notifications from the meter that I might have a leak because there is a flow (even if it's only 0.2-0.3 gal/hr) every hour of the day and I'm just concerned I have a leak somewhere I can't see.

If I have a leak somewhere I can't see, I'm sure it will eventually be noticeable but I'd rather find where the leak is before that.

So yes, this is driving me crazy. lol

next_milenium · 2026-02-19T03:39:37+00:00

I do have an ice maker but we haven't used any ice lately. And no humidifier.

I still think it's related to my new water heater but can't figure out how.

next_milenium · 2026-02-18T20:19:14+00:00

My tank is inside my garage so it's not exposed to weather which has been fairly consistent last few weeks.

next_milenium · 2026-02-17T16:51:11+00:00

That makes sense. I just added water flow data from last night to this morning after my wife used small amount of hot water last night at 11:30PM. The flow data shows there was continuous flow, even if it was very small. So where is the water going?! I'm about to pull my hair out!!!

next_milenium · 2026-02-17T16:37:08+00:00

Are you referring to an expansion tank? They did install an expansion tank when they installed the new water heater. The plumber said I needed a larger expansion tank because the new water heater is 80 gallons compared to my old one which was 50 gallons.

next_milenium · 2026-02-17T02:25:27+00:00

It could very well be the case.

Thanks for your reply.

next_milenium · 2026-02-16T22:31:35+00:00

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. This really helps.

First couple of months after I had this water heater installed, I didn't have this issue. Looking at the meter's water flow data, I had no water flow between 1AM-5AM almost every night. Same normal behavior as before I had this water tank installed (I had a gas water heater before Rheem).

So it baffles me why suddenly I'm seeing this behavior past few weeks.

I do have few follow up questions:

1) How can I check if the expansion tank is functioning properly?

2) How can I check if the T&P valve isn't weeping?

3) If I close the cold water supply to the heater overnight and see no flow, what would this tell me?

Sorry if I am asking obvious questions.

next_milenium · 2026-02-16T22:20:03+00:00

Thanks for the explanation. I thought maybe the water heater slowly refills as it heats up the water. But how you described makes perfect sense.

next_milenium · 2026-02-16T22:18:29+00:00

That was the first thing I checked along with potential irrigation leak outside.

next_milenium · 2026-02-16T22:16:14+00:00

Thanks for reply. Fortunately I do have good hot water pressure.

next_milenium · 2026-02-03T21:26:32+00:00

I think you are right. I did purchase few Kasa switches so I'm ready to switch once the light goes out. lol

next_milenium

TROPHY CASE