What Causes A Hot Water Heater To Leak From The Pressure Relief Valve? 4 Exciting Reasons!

So the question is: what causes a hot water heater to leak from the pressure relief valve? The gas or an electric water heater tank has a temperature and pressure relief valve that opens to release lower pressure and heated water inside the heater tank.

Your water heater pressure relief valve might be leaking for a variety of reasons. The pressure relief valve was not correctly installed, the water pressure within the tank is too high, the pressure relief valve is broken. 

what causes a hot water heater to leak from the pressure relief valve

It may take some effort to discover what’s causing your temperature and pressure relief valve to leak, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. In this article, you’ll find all the reasons that cause your pressure relief valve to leak. If you’re interested in learning everything in detail, just keep reading. So without further ado, let’s get started!

 

Causes A Hot Water Heater To Leak From The Pressure Relief Valve

The pressure relief valve, TRP, is a safety device that helps in releasing excess pressure and heat from the water heater. But sometimes, it may produce leaks. Here are some reasons for What Causes A Hot Water Heater To Leak From The Pressure Relief Valve? Let’s dig them one by one!

 

#1. Heated water

High temperature and pressure both trigger the TPR valve to leak. Exceptionally high temperatures are unlikely to cause the pressure valve to open since the temperature of the water should be close to boiling to do so. It would also be inappropriate not to mention it because it is still conceivable. It’s simple to verify the water heater’s temperature. For this purpose, a meat thermometer should be used; after that, turn on the hot water tap. For 60 seconds, keep on running this hot water. Using a thermometer, determine the water’s temperature. Your faucet’s hot water temperature is between 110 and 120 degrees. Although a defective pressure valve isn’t always the cause, anything more than that is risky.

 

#2. Extremely high pressure

Since many people believe that a leaky valve means the valve is faulty, this isn’t necessarily the case. TPR valve is frequently leaking, and it’s probably doing its job and releasing excess pressure and heat. It’s not difficult to check the pressure in your water heater. A pressure gauge must be purchased and mounted to your network of pipes. It makes no difference whether you attach it to a cold or hot water line; each will generate a relatively similar amount of pressure. The pressure must be around 40 and 80 psi all additional taps and water outputs shut off. 

Whereas pressure is 150 psi or above, your pressure valve is likely leaking because of too much water pressure. However, if the water damage is persistent, although the pressure is high, it’s unlikely that the water pressure within your drainage system is to blame. An enclosed plumbing system mainly causes excess pressure. The hot water tank will work and warms the water, causing the water to expand higher and raise the pressure. 

The water has nowhere to go; thus, the TPR valve will open to release the pressure. Putting an expansion tank that gives the pressure an exit other than the valve is usually the best way to handle an excess pressure issue. Instead of escaping via the valves, expanding water might enter the expansion tank, allowing the heating water operation to resume. If installing an expansion tank may indeed fix the issue, you may well have fitted the tank improperly. Know more about temperature and pressure relief valve

 

#3. No use of pressure valve

If you’ve not opened your water heater’s pressure release valve within a few months, you may notice a minor leak when you do. It’s unlikely that this leak would turn into something more severe than a tiny trickle. You’ll install a new valve if the leakage becomes more significant. However, the consequences of years of inactivity can be challenging to reverse. Even though you only need to fix significant leaks, changing the valve entirely is the simplest method to cure even minor leakage concerns. In this manner, you won’t waste time and effort fixing things that might be replaced for far less than $15.

 

#4. The pressure relief valve was installed incorrectly

The leaking pressure valve may be the faulty pressure valve; however, this is rare. Pressure relief valves are used in various equipment, such as boilers. Such valves work similarly to that on your hot water system, except they relieve pressure at far less psi. Steam and water vapor are released at 30 psi via boiler pressure valves and in hot water system valves by 150 psi. This is exceedingly improbable since the valves would’ve been leaking whenever you fitted it. If there’s any period between when your tankless heater was installed and when your valve began to leak, you very probably have the correct improperly installed pressure relieve valve. 

 

It’s A Wrap!

After reading this article, we hope you all understand what causes a hot water heater to leak from the pressure relief valve. Above we have discussed almost all the reasons for this problem, please read them carefully to understand. Thank you, friends, for being with us at the end!

Click on these links to read related articles; know why does my hot water heater keep tripping and hot water heater makes noise when heating.

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