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#1
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Question about water heater pressure relief valve is leaking
Hi all, first, just want to say that I did some google research and
found this site (very useful): http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepa...sureRelief.htm For my problem, I posted some photos he http://www.picturetrail.com/waterheater Basically, as you could see in the photo (especially the 1st photo), you could see the water (the water stain) coming out of the plumber's putty thingy, so I'm not sure whether I could just caulk or use plumber's putty to just fill it?? Is this something that I could fix or DIY by myself? Or should I really consult with a plumber or professional?? According to the article above, I might have a defective valve, but it also could be high tank pressure (our neighborhood just had some seismic upgrade so it could be related).. How could I tell whether it's the valve problem or the high tank pressure problem? Thanks! |
#2
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Question about water heater pressure relief valve is leaking
as your quoted article suggests, buy a water pressure gauge.
and buy a T&P valve. you may need a tank if the tank is still leaking after you replace its relief valve. replace the valve at 9am mon-thurs and have plenty of time to order a home depot replacement water heater if needed before NOON when their price is lowest. more at: http://www.waterheaterrescue.com |
#4
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Question about water heater pressure relief valve is leaking
Is tank over 6 years old? REPLACE TANK! Tank appears to be leaking at
commection where its threaded into tank. once a tank starts leaking at a connection even fixing this leak will ONLY mean more leaks really soon. so why waste the $ of the valve and work just to have more leaks next week? |
#5
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Was: Question about water heater pressure relief valve is leaking,now, Anode Replacement?
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#6
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Was: Question about water heater pressure relief valve is leaking, now, Anode Replacement?
I have never tried figuring there was a greater risk of damaging the
tank or causing a new leak messing with it. I quit raining them too for much the same reason never got anything out and had troubles with leaky drain valves. tanks last at least 10 years on average, for a 350 buck tank that $35 a year, a minor cost for peace of mind. I tend to buy longer guaranteed tanks for less hassle. I am 49 years old and wonder how many more tanks will need replacing in my lifetime? |
#7
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Was: Question about water heater pressure relief valve is leaking, now, Anode Replacement?
wrote in message oups.com... I have never tried figuring there was a greater risk of damaging the tank or causing a new leak messing with it. I quit raining them too for much the same reason never got anything out and had troubles with leaky drain valves. tanks last at least 10 years on average, for a 350 buck tank that $35 a year, a minor cost for peace of mind. I tend to buy longer guaranteed tanks for less hassle. I am 49 years old and wonder how many more tanks will need replacing in my lifetime? Third tank this house in 35+ years, (40 US gal size) in Canada. First few years on well water with maximum pump pressure around 40 lbs/sq in. Remaining 30 years or so on municipal mains water; have never measured pressure but it appears higher, possibly around 50 to 60 lbs! No problems; although next time I'll probably make it so the reconnections of the half inch copper pipes are a little more flexible to cope with slight dimensional differences the spacing/location of tank connections. Also I must make the 'blow off' pipe of the pressure relief valve, which is presently a hose led to a floor drain, a little more permanent. A note: About heating elements! After years of saving the 'old fashioned' square headed elements from scrapped tanks (usually the 3500 watt size) I threw them out, because all 'new' tanks were then using those newer either threaded in, or at least round elements. Then, last tank I bought some 5 years ago was US made and again uses the square elements! So which is the more common square or round? Having said that I've probably only had to replace say three elements in our three homes during the last 50 years! Also someone told me that it was possible to 'convert' from one type of element to the other; but never had to entertain that idea? And yes those plastic drain valves are a freaking nuisance |
#8
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Question about water heater pressure relief valve is leaking
Thanks for the Web site link, but I'm confused when you said "have
plenty of time to order a home depot replacement water heater if needed before NOON when their price is lowest"... Does Home Depot has special promotion for water heater if you purchase by noon?? I don't know they have such promotion program... thanks! |
#9
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Question about water heater pressure relief valve is leaking
Stretch, thanks so much for your reply. I gave you 5 stars for your
post and thanks again for your help! :-) Thanks for reminding me that I should NOT use putty or silicone, I almost did that until I read the site I posted (http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepa...sureRelief.htm). I don't think this is a DIY project so we will be hiring a professional to take a look at the problem, by the way, could you maybe explain a little bit more (if you have time) about the pipe dope and/or teflon tape ?? I don't know anything about these two materials (in terms of fixing the threaded connection). As we just purchased this water heater like 2-3 years ago, so I don't think the tank is leaking.. so it could be #2 (Leak is at threaded connection).. I will post back after the profesional take a look.. Thanks again for everyone's help, I really appreciate that! |
#10
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Was: Question about water heater pressure relief valve is leaking, now, Anode Replacement?
electric tanks tend to last much longer than gas ones probably because
gas tanks get hammered by thermal stress a lot |
#11
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Was: Question about water heater pressure relief valve is leaking, now, Anode Replacement?
I just checked the anode in my gas water heater which is now about 6
years old. The rod was about 1/3 gone. I put it back in and will check again in about 2 years. I think it's very logical that a $35 rod replacement could prolong the life of the tank more than enough to justify the cost. As a previous poster pointed out, sacraficial anodes are used routinely on boats and work. The tank manufacturers obviously believe it too, as they put them in to begin with. If you have a tank in conditions where the anode errodes faster, then replacing it makes sense to me. |
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