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

[lacofdfireman]

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...

[Canadian_Rainbi]

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]

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]

Thanks for all the help. I got it fixed. Went to Standard plumbing and fixed and replaced it.

[time2roll]

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]

Shoulda gone to Home Depot.....:S:S......:B..Dennis

[hipower]

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]

Establish air pocket using the procedure in your water heater manual.

[lacofdfireman]

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]

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]

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

[OnaQuest]

sh410 wrote:

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.

The only correct answer!!!! RTFM

Read the OP's post. He caused the leak himself by opening the valve while the water heater was cold. There was NO indication the valve is defective. It simply got some internal crud in the valve opening. It quite possibly could be stopped the same way it started. I've done it a number of times.

If it doesn't stop, then replace it.

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

[LVJ58]

A few years ago mine did the same thing, solution--Replaced it.

[TucsonJim]

Please note. Just some simple safety preparation if you do decide to remove and replace it. Make sure the water heater is off, then open the relief valve before you try to unscrew it. If the hot water heater is pressurized and you try to remove the valve, you can injure yourself with high pressure scalding hot water.

[sh410]

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.

The only correct answer!!!! RTFM