On 12/22/2010 9:49 AM, Steve Barker wrote:
On 12/22/2010 8:44 AM, IGot2P wrote:
On 12/22/2010 7:47 AM, Steve Barker wrote:
On 12/21/2010 11:34 PM, IGot2P wrote:
Okay, it is a two to three year old electric water heater and this
evening the relief valve tripped and dumped a limited amount of
water. I
have no clue as to why it tripped, it never has before. The down pipe
from the relief valve is still dripping even thought I have opened and
closed the valve several times.

1.) I know that the relief valve is both pressure and temperature
sensitive but what is your best guess of why it tripped in the first
place?
2.) Is it the nature of these relief valves to not totally re-seat once
they have tripped?

It didn't do any damage for three reasons. First, it let out a limited
amount of water. Secondly, the down pipe is very close to a floor
drain.
And finally, we have a water alarm near that floor drain and it went
off
and we just happened to be home.

Unless most all of you think that something is messed up with the water
heater I plan to just replace the relief valve in the morning and
let it
go at that. Although I never do, I just might shut it off when we leave
for warmer weather this winter.

Happy Holidays,

Don





A good practice is to shut the water off ANYtime you leave the house.
And if we're leaving for more than 24 hours, i go ahead and shut off the
water heaters also. No need keeping water hot for nobody home.

I am sure that it would be a good practice but I am not going to shut
the water off once or twice a week just for 24 hours. Although I never
have in the past I may shut it off when we are going to gone for over
one week (sometimes a month or so).




LMAO! I shut it off once, twice, three times a DAY. I said whenever
leaving the house. It's up to you though. When the bottom of that water
heater blows out, 5 minutes is a LOOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGG time. Think about
how much you want to repair. Hmmmm. How are those washer hoses you leave
on all the time? How much damage is going to occur when one of them (the
hot one) blows up and you're lollygagging around the mall, because it
would be stupid to turn the water off for just a 1 hour trip, right?

I am not saying it would be stupid but I certainly don't think that it
is common practice.

BTW - the closest mall is 45 miles away. OTOH, we are out of town almost
every weekend

Don