Water heater safety valve

Permanent air bubble:



http://shurflo.com/rv-products/pre-pressurized-accumulator-tank-24oz

As long as you are ordering a new drain plug I would get a new T&P valve too.

marty1300 wrote:
Also just in case I ordered a valve .

You likely are wasting your money.....and probably time too.

WHEN HEATING UP FROM COLD, THE PRESSURE BUILDS UP AND THE PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE WILL LEAK.....if you leave all the faucets closed. That can happen air bubble or no.

IF YOU INSTALL A NEW ONE, IT WILL LEAK UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES TOO.

IF........it does not leak at any other time......JUST LEAVE IT ALONE.

OP here- small update, I followed directions in the owners manual for getting air pocket back, turn off water supply, open closest faucet on hot side, open pressure valve and keep open till finished dripping- took about 20 min was very slow, it says let valve snap back closed- well it does not really "snap" back. So I closed it and let it heat up after 20 minutes as before it started to drip, not quite as bad, water was very hot after this time. I did order a new drain plug as it is plastic and will only come out one more time with out breaking. Will do a drain , re-fill and try again. Also just in case I ordered a valve . Do you think after 20 minutes the flame would turn off ?

Thanks for any more replies
Marty

dougrainer wrote:

Espee wrote:
Dont open that press relief valve unless you are prepared to replace it....

Wives tale.

Yes and no. It depends.

IF....you open it regularly as a part of draining, it is likely that you will not have a problem for a LONG time.

OTOH, if you have a 10 year old water heater that has never been drained and the valve has never been opened......it is almost guaranteed that opening it once will result in some mineral deposits getting stuck in the seal and a subsequent leak.

P.S. The same thing applies to the drain valve at the bottom.....if there is one.

OP here, thanks for the tips, I will do this weekend and let you know how it goes

If a pressure valve has never been opened in several years, and then it is opened, Espee is correct, more times than not, it will leak from then on.
Question is, "do you feel lucky" :)

Opening the relief valve allows water to flow thru it helping to remove scale/crud that can build up on valve seat----especially if water supply is still on.
Just stand back and let it blow.

Recommended to preform at least once a year (RV and Resdiential WHs)

ANNUAL OPERATION OF T&P RELIEF VALVES:

WARNING: Following installation, the valve lever MUST be operated AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR by the water heater owner to ensure that waterways are clear. Certain naturally occurring mineral deposits may adhere to the valve, blocking waterways, rendering it inoperative. When the lever is operated, hot water will discharge if the waterways are clear. PRECAUTIONS MUST BE TAKEN TO AVOID PERSONAL INJURY FROM CONTACT WITH HOT WATER AND TO AVOID PROPERTY DAMAGE.



GO on...do it. Lift the lever and let it flow

I think Old Biscuit has the answer. Drain the tank (let cool overnightm, shut off water, remove drain plug or anode rod (replace with a short piece of pipe) and open TPR (Safety) valve manually.

When empty, replace original plug or anode, use new anode if needed. close TPR and turn water back on to refill, 3-6 minutes later re-activate water heater.

Our RV is 17 yrs old and we open it a couple times a year to drain water heater ( we are full-time) and ours doesn't leak.

Espee wrote:
Dont open that press relief valve unless you are prepared to replace it....
Once you do it is not unlikely it will dribble all the time from there on out. Happened to me.
Havnt had a recurrence as I tell myself removing the anode rod for periodic inspection replaces air pocket instead.... Speaking of which you should be keeping an eye on anyway.

Wives tale. I have probably opened at least 500 pop off valves over the years for various testing and repair. The valve will reseat. If it does NOT, then replace it as it was defective anyway. Doug