What can I do when Pressure Relief Valve is Leaking?

Now more and more families choose to install pressure relief valves on water heaters. It is convenient and quick to use, which saves us a lot of time. However, various failures will inevitably occur when the pressure relief valves of water heaters are used for a long time. Let's take a look at the causes and solutions of pressure relief valve leaking.

Pressure relief valve leakage problem and solution

The water pressure in the tap water pipe is too high: If the tap water pressure suddenly increases or the temperature is too high, this will cause the inner tank of the water heater to bear too much pressure, and finally lead to the automatic dripping of the pressure relief valve to relieve the pressure, so that the water heater will not be damaged due to excessive internal pressure.

The principle of this phenomenon is that when the water heater is heated, the water inside the water heater expands due to heat, and the volume becomes larger, but the capacity of the inner tank does not change, so the internal pressure of the water heater also increases accordingly. At this time, the pressure relief valve of the water heater detects that the pressure has increased and will automatically start to release water to relieve the pressure, and water leaking will appear. Therefore, during the heating process of the water heater, it is a normal phenomenon that the pressure relief valve slowly drips water, and it is not a quality problem of the water heater.

Solution: close the water inlet valve, adjust the water valve knob to a high temperature, and open it to avoid water leakage from the one-way pressure relief valve.

The pressure relief valve is damaged: If the water leakage is obvious, the pressure relief valve may be broken, and you can consider replacing it with a new one. Only by doing a good job of maintenance can the service life of the water heater be extended.

Generally speaking, there will be a value on the pressure relief valve, such as 0.6Mpa, 0.75MPa. When the pressure inside the electric water heater exceeds this value, the pressure will open the valve of the pressure relief valve, and then drain water from the small hole. When the internal pressure returns to normal, the valve will automatically close.

Solution: If there is a problem with the pressure relief valve itself, it needs to be replaced or cleaned in time. For specific operations, please refer to the water heater instruction manual or ask professional maintenance personnel to handle it. Remember to clean the water tank of the water heater in time.

In addition to replacing the pressure relief valve, you will also need to adjust the water pressure of your water heater. The water pressure of the water heater should be between 0.02-0.03MPa. If the water pressure is too high, the water pressure can be reduced by adjusting the water level valve of the faucet or water heater. Here I would like to remind everyone again that when we use the water heater, the water inlet pressure of the water heater should not be too high, so as not to cause serious water drip from the pressure relief valve.

In addition, we can also alleviate the leakage of the 1/2-inch spring pressure relief valve by increasing the displacement of the water heater. The specific operation method is to install a drain pipe under the pressure relief valve and extend the pipe outward, so that the water heater can discharge excess hot water, thereby reducing the internal pressure and alleviating the leakage of the pressure relief valve.

Although it is normal for the pressure relief valve to leak water because the electric water heater is releasing pressure, too much water leakage from the pressure relief valve also indicates a problem: there is a lot of air (scale) inside the electric water heater. Therefore, to solve the problem of water leakage from the pressure relief valve, the key is to clean the scale inside the water heater and discharge the air inside.

The role of the pressure relief valve in the water heater

The function of pressure relief. When the electric water heater is plugged in, the internal water pressure is relatively high during operation, and the pressure relief valve works at this time. The pressure relief valve can eliminate unnecessary pressure in time to ensure our safe use.

Prevent water from flowing away. When the water heater is working, make sure that there is enough water stored in it. Without water, drying occurs, which is very dangerous and prone to explosion. The pressure relief valve can effectively prevent such accidents and prevent water from flowing away.

Improve the life of the electric water heater. Increase the service time of the water heater and protect the inner wall of the water heater, which can prolong the life of the inner wall.