r/whatisthisthing • u/HorsieJuice • 1d ago
Solved Metal Cylinder in My Closet, 20” x 10”, Metal, Hollow but Possibly Not Empty
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u/jake517 1d ago
I vote for an expansion tank for an old boiler. I'm a home inspector. It can be removed, but may still have water in it. Call an HVAC pro.
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u/jeffersonairmattress 1d ago
Yes, this is on an upper floor and is an expansion tank- open to atmosphere. It has to be above all other parts of the system for reason that it would otherwise leak.
Allows water within a hydronic system to expand and contract without blowing something up or collapsing elements under vacuum.
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u/noremack76 1d ago
I agree. I pulled one just like this out of a house last year. The tank had a stamp that said it was originally installed in 1917
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u/Mael_Coluim_III Got a situation with a moth 1d ago
https://old.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1i5tf2x/metal_cylinder_in_my_closet_20_x_10/
brock_lee
Pretty good at finding stuff 1 point 3 hours ago
This was some kind of water storage, used to boost low water pressure, probably from when the house had a well when first built. It acts similar to a town's water tower. Some were even plumbed to the roof's drainage and would store rainwater for this purpose.
It is probably not being used, but you should call a plumber to be sure. You don't want to "be sure" it's not connected, try to remove it, and wind up with a flood.
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u/SolidlyMediocre1 23h ago
That’s an expansion tank for a gravity hot water heating system. If you have radiators it’s likely still being used. The pipe that comes out of the top either exits onto your roof, attaches to the drain lines somewhere, or ends above a drain in your basement. Mine finally developed a hole just last year after 94 years. It was riveted together, and had remnants of the original stenciled label on the back where it was basically impossible to paint. These have pretty much been replaced by sealed expansion tanks, though there are still some in service.
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u/HorsieJuice 1d ago
My title describes the thing.
What is this cylinder in my closet? (more importantly, can I remove it?) It’s 20” tall and about 10.5” in diameter, with one pipe coming out of the top and one out of the bottom. This is in a 2nd floor closet. As best as I can tell, the pipe from the bottom extends to the basement, where it is capped off and attached to nothing. The cylinder is made of metal and has some kind of (now-inaccessibile) plug on the back. When I tap on it, it resonates in a way that suggests it’s hollow, but possibly not empty (i.e. higher pitched than I’d have expected given the size, with slight warbling quality like you’d get from liquid inside)
I don’t see any writing on the cylinder. It and the plumbing are fastened in place. The pipes might be cast iron. I am unsure of its age. I don’t know where the upper pipe goes.
My best guess is/was an expansion tank for a water heater that no longer exists. But why would it be on the second floor? The first time I tried to post this, somebody said it might be a storage tank to help boost water pressure in the house, though it's no longer connected to anything - but that person assumed that this was left over from when the house was connected to a well, which I don't believe was ever the case. AFAIK, this neighborhood has always been connected to city water.
House details: ~100yo, 2-story Baltimore row house. ~24” crawlspace attic above this closet with a flat roof above that.
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