i HAVE a HOT WATER TANK QUESTION...READ CAREFULLY?

Question

my hot water tank leaks from the copper pipe along the side of it, i think its called a pressure relief pipe. it leaks all the time. YES, IVE REPLACED THE PRESSURE VALVE , AND IT DIDNT HELP. The tank is only 3 years old, and i replaced it since i was only allowed one shower before it got cold. by the way, the other water tank didnt leak out of the copper pipe, and this one does. I still only have 10 minutes of hot water with a 40 gallon tank! It is a gas tank. Id be grateful to you forever if you can help me with these 2 problems!

Answer 1

The valve you are describing is a temperature & pressure relief valve. It is factory set to open if the pressure gets higher than 180psi (not likely that this is your problem), or 180 degrees (again, not likely your problem). You say the T&P valve was replaced. Who replaced it? Was the new one tested? I have seen bad batches of T&P valves, so I would start with that. Where is the water heater located? How far away from the bath is the heater? What is the BTU rating on your heater? What is the recovery rate? How often do you drain the sediment from the tank? How hard is your water? ALL of these items factor in to a properly sized, properly positioned water heater. You say it is a gas heater, natural gas or propane? Have you had a service man check the gas output, for the correct pressure, under a load? What type of shower valve do you have? Is it an anti-scald model? To properly diagnose your problem, I would need all the answers to these questions. A 40 gallon natural gas fired water heater should supply enough hot water, for a 2 bath home. The location of the heater, the BTU rating and the recovery rate, the size of the distribution pipes, the inlet gas pressure under a load, the size of the exhaust flue and how many bends it has, the shower faucet, the hardness of the water, all these are factors that affect you taking a comfortable shower.

Answer 2

First, you should check your water pressure. I found a pressure tester in the sprinkler system section of a Home Depot type store for just a couple of dollars. Screw it in the valve at the bottom of your water heater and turn the valve on. If the pressure is above 80 psi, you should probably install a pressure control valve (about $45.00) on the pipe before the water goes in the water heater from the city. You'll also need to install an expansion tank between the pressure control valve and the water heater to handle the excess pressure build up as the water is heated. My guess is your pressure from the city is so high, you're using up all your hot water simply due to trying to compensate for the high cold water pressure. I've got the same problem and I put in the pressure control valve, but now need to also add the expansion tank. I also need to move the pressure control valve to lower my cold water pressure as well since it's overpowering my hot water pressure. See the attached, you'll save lots by doing the work yourself!

Answer 3

A forty gallon gas heater should give you hot water 'till the cows come home..Unless you are drawing straight hot water then it is about right....Check your water pressure. You'll probably find that is over 80#, too much..Don't know about your town. Some will install a Pressure Regulator on your side of the meter. If not you can do this yourself.. Cut the line on your side of the meter and install the regulator. Adjust it to about 60-65#. That will stop your pressure relief from dumping water...

Answer 4

If the pressure relief valve is piped to the outside,open and close it a few times and when you close it the last time tap the part that goes up and down lightly,you may be losing your hot water through that valve.Also your tank may need cleaning out.

Answer 5

If you have replaced this valve, then either the water pressure is too high or the water temperture is too high. My guess would be that for some reason the water pressure is too high. And yes, it is called a pressure relief valve. It is a safety valve to prevent both too high pressure and to prevent the water heater from overheating. It is possible that turning the temperture down a little may stop this and actually result in you having more hot water (if the water heater is turned all the way up). Good luck

Answer 6

yep its a pressure relief valve. it leaks because there is TOO MUCH PRESSURE in the tank. First turn down the temp on the tank. YES turn it down. If you only get 10 minutes out of a tank then there is more to address. Have you ever emptied the tank to flush it out? All sediment settles in the bottom of the tank, right where the heat is trying to get to the water. Drain the tank completely and I'll bet you will see tons of crap coming out. Failing that the thermostate may be bum.