A house near downtown Snoqualmie had an aging 50-gallon electric water heater in an attic space, and its expansion tank was leaking. The space and the access were too tight for another full-size tank, so on a Tuesday morning in early September, PJ and Alex replaced it with a shorter 38-gallon heater and a mixing valve that stretches its hot water.
What We Did
PJ and Alex drained the old Rheem in place, took it out through the attic access and set a new Rheem ProE 38-gallon lowboy, a short tank made for height-restricted spaces, on a new drip pan.
To make up the capacity, they fitted a thermostatic mixing valve, sold as a tank booster. It lets the tank store water hotter and blends it with cold at the outlet down to a safe temperature, so each stored gallon goes further; our estimate called the result comparable to a larger heater.
They replaced the leaking expansion tank with a new one above the heater, fitted new flex connectors, re-hung the seismic straps and tested for leaks, all in about an hour and a half on site.
Why It Matters
- Fit decides the tank before capacity does. A heater has to come in through the access and stand where the old one stood; when a full-size tank won't, a lowboy with a mixing valve can still keep up.
- The mixing valve makes a hotter tank safe. It keeps the hotter stored water from reaching the tap at scalding temperatures.
- The expansion tank is part of the job. Behind a pressure-reducing or check valve, heated water has nowhere to expand, and Washington's plumbing code calls for an expansion tank to take it.
- A heater above living space belongs in a pan. A drip pan gives a slow leak somewhere to go besides the ceiling below.
Why Snoqualmie
Snoqualmie grew up around the railroad: its depot, a short walk from this house, was built in 1890, and the town incorporated in 1903. Most of downtown lies in the Snoqualmie River's floodplain, and the city's flood report suggests putting mechanical equipment in the upper parts of a building to keep it out of the water. An attic heater does that, as long as the replacement fits. The city requires a permit to replace a water heater, and our Fall City shop is about ten minutes away.
Replace a Water Heater in a Tight Space
Call 425-549-2400 or schedule an appointment.
More: water heaters · water heaters in Snoqualmie · plumbing in Snoqualmie · how long a water heater lasts · a Snoqualmie water heater replacement review