leaking relief valve

petros151

I just noticed small wet area next to my hot water heater and thought it was leaking but it was the relief valve slow dripping.

Not knowing what to do I shut off the supply and hot water out valves but it still was dripping then I pulled the lever on the relief valve and it shot out a small amount of water and then shut again. Seems to have stopped dripping.

What was the problem? Did I fix the problem? Do I need to replace the valve?

much thanks!

oh'mike

Why that is leaking--------------

1.it's working properly and there is excessive heat or pressure in the tank--

2.Something unusual happened that caused it to open (spike in pressure or someone touched it) and now there is lime or other crud keeping it open---

Those often leak after opening--Go buy a new one --check the lable on the old one to make sure you get the correct temp/pressure and change it---

If the new one leaks---you may need an expansion tank added to your system---not to difficult and required with larger heaters in most cases.

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petros151

to replace the relief valve I would need to drain the tank down below the valve, and I imagine with the intake shut off closed I'd need to use the relief valve to let air in to drain it?


thanks!

gregzoll

Popping it every month, helps to keep them working. As long as it is dry now, you probably fixed it by opening and letting it close. How old is the unit?

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AllanJ

Turn off the water heater heat. (For gas heaters you can turn the knob to Pilot)

Turn off the water.

Open a hot faucet upstairs.

Then drain the tank using the valve at the bottom. It is not easy to predict how much water you need to drain to get below the level of a side mounted relief valve.

The hot faucet should be gushing water before you turn the water heater heat back on.

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petros151

INTERESTING! I have never opening it up, it is 6 yrs old. but after I opening it and then turned the water intake back on it kept dripping so it needs to be replaced but thanks for the tip makes sense to open it monthly. Hope other DIY home owners find this thread!

Alan

In 5.5 years of plumbing, i've only ever seen one T&P relief valve need to be replaced and it was on a commercial booster, not a residential water heater.


The first thing I would do is wait until you see it dripping. Check the pressure on the house. If the pressure is higher than say 80-100 PSI, relieve the pressure from the system. Check pressure again. If pressure stays high, you may need a new pressure regulator. If it has dropped after relieving pressure, it's more than likely a need of an expansion tank.

The T&P has a job, and it sounds like yours is doing it. Unless it has been leaking for a long long time, the valve should be just fine. Long periods of leaking can cause the seat to etch and cause them to leak even when closed.


It won't hurt to change it, just putting this here so you have something to go off of if/when it doesn't fix the problem.

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petros151

Ok I changed the relief valve and now time to fill the tank (it's probably 1/2 drained) I don't know if I should use the relief valve while filling it ie. should I let it bleed air or should I just open up the hot water faucet closest to the tank? or both? I'm ready for a hot shower!

Thanks!

Alan

This. ^^^^^

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ben's plumbing

just bleed air through the faucets...ben sr

petros151

yes that was it I let the water gush out the faucet for a min then shut it and turned on the heat.... a perfect DIY $6.00 job. thanks guys!

Missouri Bound

Where in the did you find a relief valve for only $6.00??

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Alan

Right here

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petros151

There's a little plumbing supply place in my little town and they have little prices! who needs HD ?