Water Hester leaks at times

[Cecilt]

I have noticed that my water heater will leak from the pressure relief outlet. Is is normal for this to happen on occasion. It is not a constant leak. For example. I opened one at a time a hot waters spigot in the camper and nothing leaked on the exterior pressure relief. Finally some water would come out after running enough water. It does stop. Not a lot of water but enough to see in the bottom of the lip behind the outside water heather access panel. It will do it this sporadically. Never constant and never a puddle of water overflowing down the side of the camper. Tks

[Cecilt]

Thanks for all the tips. I turned off the city water, flipped the pressure relief valve and let water come out until it sopped. Reconnected to city water and no issues the rest of the trip. Must have needed that air pocket. Tks

[JEBar]

if none of the above recommendations work, the valve may need to be cleaned or replaced .... residue can collect in the valve and cause a leak through one of the rubber seals .... I have seen cleaning a pressure relief valve with a product like CLR solve the problem .... if that doesn't work, the valve itself may need to be replaced

Jim

[time2roll]

Forget the air pocket hassle and install a small Shurflo Accumulator tank.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/shurflo-accumulator-tank/2290

[Old-Biscuit]

Air pocket.......air pocket....air pocket

Water can not be compressed...........air can be compressed

No air pocket.....PRV weeps

nomad297 wrote:
Now, if your temperature is at or above 210 degrees, there's nothing you can do except have a professional service it, but for the short term, work out which fuel mode (electric, gas) is causing the high temperature condition and make sure the heater is set to the mode that will not overheat the water. Hopefully one or the other will work properly.

Sure there is......replace the set of t-stats.
Normal t-stat should stop heating at 130*F or 140*F
AND the ECO (High temp t-stat) should shut down heating (if normal fails) at 170*F or 180*F (depending on which brand of water heater)
That is IF WH is overheating and not just LOSS OF AIR POCKET

[Johno02]

We installed a new Dometic water heater last year. It has always leaked about a cupfull from the pressure relief each time it cycles from cold to hot. I called Dometic and was told this is normal for their units to do this. Whenwe get back home, I will try replacing the valve with a new one from another manufacturer if there is such a thing. Does not seem like a normal thing to me, more like an excuse for a inferior and poorly made product. Wonder if I can get one from China??

[nomad297]

This happens when the pressure reaches 150psi or when the temperature reaches 210 degrees. Usually, though, with an RV water heater, it is the high pressure that causes the relief. If this is something new, it is best to work out which of the two conditions is causing the relief. You can do this with a pressure gauge and a thermometer, but usually you can tell which it is by the way it is discharging -- a short discharge usually indicates a pressure relief and a long, continual discharge usually indicates a temperature relief -- this is assuming that your source water pressure is less than 150psi, which it almost always will be.

When the water heats, the system pressure increases, no matter what you do. Some systems will increase on the hot side only and some will increase on the cold side, also, depending on the presence and/or placement of check valves. The amount of reserve space (air pocket) in the tank should be maximized and maintained to minimize the pressure increase when the water is heated. That's the best you can do without installing an expansion tank.

Now, if your temperature is at or above 210 degrees, there's nothing you can do except have a professional service it, but for the short term, work out which fuel mode (electric, gas) is causing the high temperature condition and make sure the heater is set to the mode that will not overheat the water. Hopefully one or the other will work properly.

Bruce

[Dog_Folks]

It depends.

The owners manual for my heater says "seepage" from the pressure relief valve is normal.

[avan]

Water Hester leaks at times

Buy Hester some Depends? :B

[downtheroad]

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.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Let the tank cool.

Turn off the pump or disconnect from shore water.

Drain some water out.

Let us know if this fixes the problem.

[tvman44]

Need to restore the air pocket in the tank, common problem. Look up the owners manual for your tank for procedure, very simple procedure. 🙂