pressure relief valve dripping

[cpoo]

2015 Winnebago Sightseer 35G. Atwood water heater. Discovered my pressure relief valve has drips when heating. It does not drip when we are using very little hot water. We have it in electric mode. We did several loads of laundry and it began to drip at end of first load. I have tapped it and also fired up lp with electric to get it hot and still dripping. Hasn't been used much as new in June and only one week trip in summer. We are traveling or I would be back to the dealer. Any ideas?

[Old-Biscuit]

Goldencrazy wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:

Goldencrazy wrote:
Yup it leaks when washer runs. Less than before but still drips. I walked around campground. Saw six that had wet spots below the water heater. Guess I am seven and live with it at least until I get home and mention to dealer. It appears to be normal.

Normal only in the fact that it can occur.........due to closed system in RVs pressure can build enough to make them weep when air pocket has been lost.

NOT normal in that it shouldn't always do it as the weeping will cause scaling on T&P valve seat.

The T&P should not weep when conditions are normal.
Weeping can occur but is a signal that things are not normal

Thanks. I will have it all checked when I return home. Is your Verde location around Camp Verde? Stayed in Camp Verde on my way west a month ago. Loved it.

Yes.....Camp Verde Area.
During our FT Travels we would come thru here and remark 'what a nice area' so when it cam time to 'exit' we actively checked the valley out and decided to stay.

[LVJ58]

Interesting, in the 19 years we've had 2 coaches & never aware of the creation of the air pocket procedure. Only had one incident of the T/P valve leaking and that was on our current coach. Replaced T/P valve no problems since, just lucky I guess....

Good info though...Thanks

[Goldencrazy]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

Goldencrazy wrote:
Yup it leaks when washer runs. Less than before but still drips. I walked around campground. Saw six that had wet spots below the water heater. Guess I am seven and live with it at least until I get home and mention to dealer. It appears to be normal.

Normal only in the fact that it can occur.........due to closed system in RVs pressure can build enough to make them weep when air pocket has been lost.

NOT normal in that it shouldn't always do it as the weeping will cause scaling on T&P valve seat.

The T&P should not weep when conditions are normal.
Weeping can occur but is a signal that things are not normal

Thanks. I will have it all checked when I return home. Is your Verde location around Camp Verde? Stayed in Camp Verde on my way west a month ago. Loved it.

[Old-Biscuit]

Goldencrazy wrote:
Yup it leaks when washer runs. Less than before but still drips. I walked around campground. Saw six that had wet spots below the water heater. Guess I am seven and live with it at least until I get home and mention to dealer. It appears to be normal.

Normal only in the fact that it can occur.........due to closed system in RVs pressure can build enough to make them weep when air pocket has been lost.

NOT normal in that it shouldn't always do it as the weeping will cause scaling on T&P valve seat.

The T&P should not weep when conditions are normal.
Weeping can occur but is a signal that things are not normal

[Goldencrazy]

Yup it leaks when washer runs. Less than before but still drips. I walked around campground. Saw six that had wet spots below the water heater. Guess I am seven and live with it at least until I get home and mention to dealer. It appears to be normal.

[Old-Biscuit]

Goldencrazy wrote:
So another try. This time I turned off the water heater and waited for a couple of hours. The turned off the source and then opened inside faucet. Went outside and opened the pressure relief valve and waited until it had emptied and even waited until it was nearly done dripping. I then snapped the switch, closed the faucet, turned on the water source and started the electric water heater. We shall see tomorrow how it is doing. It just seems strange that as a matter of course it would drip every time I run the hot water for more than a minute.

You have established the air pocket and blown water thru relief valve and it still weeps when water is heated.

Brand new rig......
T&P valve is probably faulty.

Replace and be done with it.

[Goldencrazy]

That may be my outcome. I have not had so many little things need replacement in a new motorhome and this is my fourth in 15 years. Little things like a shower drain pipe that was too short and pulled loose. Put in new pipe an inch longer and it is fixed. The closet pole was about a half inch too short and would fall down when in transit. I place felt pads on each end and solid now as it can slide end to end. I should have made more trips closer to home to shakedown so I could have had dealer fix everything but schedule didn't allow so I am fixing them myself. I love the floor plan and the coach but the overall quality control of Winnebago wasn't very good on this one. and some of the issues are with components not Winnebago's fault directly.

[Gjac]

After fooling with mine for 2 seasons establishing an air pocket and snapping the spring shut it would work for a while then start leaking again,I finally replaced it last year. I think it was about $20 and it has never leaked the rest of the season. The dripping caused my thermal fuse to corrode.

[Goldencrazy]

So another try. This time I turned off the water heater and waited for a couple of hours. The turned off the source and then opened inside faucet. Went outside and opened the pressure relief valve and waited until it had emptied and even waited until it was nearly done dripping. I then snapped the switch, closed the faucet, turned on the water source and started the electric water heater. We shall see tomorrow how it is doing. It just seems strange that as a matter of course it would drip every time I run the hot water for more than a minute.

[Goldencrazy]

Well, I turned off water at source. Opened the hot valve on shower which is above the hot water heater, left open until it stopped running and left it open, opened relief valve and left open until drips stopped, then snapped it a few times and finally snapped shut. Closed the shower faucet and turned water back on and turned electric heater back on. Waited a while til water nice and warm and then took shower. Still had some drips when done. Enough to make small amount on ground. So repeated the process and still had some drips. Any other ideas. Maybe normal but it wasn't in other coaches with Atwood water heater. Doesn't drip when not in use. Only when using hot, Any other ideas? Maybe it is just the valve that isn't seating and faulty or I need to keep snapping.

[Old-Biscuit]

Rwake901 wrote:
Mine does that too. Read the owners manual for the water heater it tells you that is normal.

Yes Suburban and Atwood both address 'weeping relief valve' and that it is normal because of the 'closed system'.

AND they both also address -re-establishing the air pocket as the correct method to reduce the possibility of weeping occurring.

Water can not be compressed......water expands when heated.
Air can be compressed...air pocket (by design) controls the increase in pressure when heated water expands

[olfarmer]

All good advice so far. if that doesn't do it, they are cheap and easy to replace. I have seen them fail.
Good luck!

[Rwake901]

Mine does that too. Read the owners manual for the water heater it tells you that is normal.

[cpoo]

Well, I followed those instructions and didn't scald myself and so far no drips although the proof will be when we do something that calls for more hot water like a load of laundry or long shower. Thank you all for the quick responses.