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HarryS HarryS is offline
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Default Water heater pop off valve issue


"Joe" wrote in message
.. .
3 days ago I noticed water leaking out of the pop off valve on my three
year old hot water heater. My first thought was bad pop off valve so I
replaced it. The problem persisted. Then I thought maybe the thermostat was
sticking on and over heating the water so I bought a thermometer and check
the water temp at the closest faucet to the tank and the water was 130 deg
with the tank set on 125. I then thought I must be having water pressure
spikes so I bought a pressure tester and screwed it into the pop off valve
outlet and just left the pop off valve open. Initially there was only 75
pounds of pressure. I went back and checked an hour later and the gauge
showed the pressure had been as high as 160 pounds. I thought ok my water
pressure regulator had bad so I replaced the regulator coming into the
house and the pressure was 60 pounds initially. I come back and hour later
and the pressure gage had gone up to 200 pounds which tells me if the gauge
had not been there the pop off valve would have again let water escape as
it is designed to pop at 150 PSI or 210 degrees. The hot water in my house
is not scalding hot by a long shot.

Where do I go from here? Why is so much pressure building up in my water
heater?

Thanks Joe


I had the same thing happen. Everything worked fine for years until one day
water started to leak intermittently from the relief valve. I put on a new
relief valve but that didn't stop it. I lowered the house pressure at the
regulator; still no change. So, I installed a pressure tank and the problem
went away.

I asked myself the same question you're asking. Why, after all these years,
did this problem crop up? I could only come up with two possibilities. 1.
My pressure regulator had a bypass valve (orifice) that had plugged. 2.
The water company had installed a backflow preventor at the meter (or
perhaps changed the meter to a type that has a backflow preventor built in).

I didn't pursue the real reason, but I'm betting it was No. 1.

Harry