On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 21:21:55 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


"David" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hopefully someone can offer some guidance on a problem I have with my
water heater.

It would seem that the boneheads that built my house 7 years ago
failed to put the hot water heater in a location where the T&P relief
valve can safely dump water to a drain.

About 98% of them are installed that way..


The one in my house has a copper tube going up along the vent (for gas
fumes) and draining on the roof, near the chimney.



The water heater is installed
in a small closet, below grade, and was placed on top of carpeting,
underlay, and then the concrete foundation. I didn't even realize
that it was normal for the T&P relief valve to activate periodically -
I thought it was in the event of a catastrophic failure, but I now
know that's not the case.

It is pretty much the case. You have a problem that needs fixing. Could be
the valve itself going bad, chould be the temperature is running to high for
some reason, like a bad thermostat, or the water pressure is higher than
normal. .



I just noticed that the carpeting is completely soaked, and there's
mold growing in the carpet. I'm pretty sure it's not leaking from
anywhere, so I have to assume the T&P relief valve is doing its thing.

There's no drain anywhere near the heater. Is there another
alternative to placing a bucket under the drain tube?


Put a bucket under it to be sure that is where the water is coming from.



--
113 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is
not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has
no place in the curriculum of our nation's public
school classes." -- Ted Kennedy