So today I was messing with my Water heater trying to get it to fire up and I pulled on what appears to be some sort of pressure relief inside this compartment. So I opened it up and flowed some water and now it wont stop leaking. Do I need to replace this or is there some way to get it to stop. I would assume it's probably got some serious calcium deposits or something and not allowing it to close all the way. Any ideas? Is this a DIY fix? Looks like it would just twist off...

Pressure Relief valve1. Try opening and closing it to clear it out (might just be some junk stuck in the valve.2. Check temps if it only leaks when hot - could be either worn out or running too hot.3. Replace - RV Dealer or Lowes/Home Depot should have one.

Pressure relief valve...very important safety feature.Try this first:Water Heater Air PocketShut off the water supply, open the relief valve until water stop coming out, close it, turn the water supply back on.This will reestablish the air pocket in the water heater, giving the water some place to expand to when it is heated.If this doesn't work, replace the valve...very simple. Home Depot, Lowes. a wrench and some teflon tape on the treads.

Most home P&T valves are 3/4"NPT while all the RV ones have been 1/2" NPT

As others said, a pressure relief valve. Typically if it is leaking, it is on its way out. It is an inexpensive but very important safety feature. It it were me, I would replace it and not worry about fixing it.

If it started leaking on its own, I would recommend replacing it. Because you opened the valve and now it continues to leak a bit, this may not be as serious. You could try this absolutely FREE procedure. Take a pair of needle nose players and push in on the stem that was pulled out when you flipped the lever up.

What is this and how can I get it to stop leaking?

Canadian_Rainbi
Explorer
May 03, 2014
downtheroad wrote:
Pressure relief valve...very important safety feature.

Try this first:

Water Heater Air Pocket
Shut off the water supply, open the relief valve until water stop coming out, close it, turn the water supply back on.
This will reestablish the air pocket in the water heater, giving the water some place to expand to when it is heated.

If this doesn't work, replace the valve...very simple. Home Depot, Lowes. a wrench and some teflon tape on the treads.

Actually I would try that second: As already mentioned, try opening and closing the valve a few times. There may be a bit of something stuck.

While you are playing with it it wouldn't hurt to give the tank a flush to clean out any deposits that may be in there.
T-Karma
Explorer
May 03, 2014
Just some advice, now would be a good time to flush the water heater and descale it. Sometimes mineral deposits will clog the pressure reliefs. It's some good insurance.
lacofdfireman
Explorer
May 03, 2014
Thanks for all the help. I got it fixed. Went to Standard plumbing and fixed and replaced it.
time2roll
Nomad
May 03, 2014
Mont G&J wrote:
Establish air pocket using the procedure in your water heater manual.
Even better, add a small Shurflo 182-200 expansion tank.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/shurflo-accumulator-tank/2290
Executive45
Explorer III
May 03, 2014
Shoulda gone to Home Depot.....:S:S......:B..Dennis
hipower
Explorer
May 01, 2014
A little silicone lube on the shaft usually helps the valve to seal better since the spring is marginal due to it's design requirements. Also a slight tap on the shaft will often reseat the seal.

As most have stated though the surest solution is a replacement.
Mont_G_J
Explorer
May 01, 2014
Establish air pocket using the procedure in your water heater manual.
lacofdfireman
Explorer
May 01, 2014
Went to Lowes. Shortest one they had said it was a 2" Mine must be a 1" cause the 2" was to long to fit and close the door. Guess it's off to Camping World in the morning..
lacofdfireman
Explorer
May 01, 2014
Thanks for all the advice everyone I did try multiple time opening and closing and letting it shut on it own to no avail. Water was cold when I first opened it and water heater has been off all day. I will drain and replace. That's the only way I can see to make sure it doesn't fail on me in the near future. Going to take it off and head over to Home Depot. Thanks for the advice. I love forums. And yes I should have bought a DP... Someday......
Executive45
Explorer III
May 01, 2014
OnaQuest wrote:

I'm surprised that someone on this forum didn't advise him to buy a DP.....

I was gonna....but realized the DP has an AquaHot and not a water heater so he would just have an extra safety valve.....:B.

IMHO, for such an inexpensive item, even if it's only crud on the inside, it's still on its way out, so replace it..Murphy's Law says it'll break when you least want it to......Dennis