Two bosses ago, (three if you count my present wife), I was sent on a service call to take care of some running toilets and drippy shower valves. I replaced washers and fill valves, etc., and when I got through everything was still dripping. After running water in the kitchen sink, which splashed up halfway to the ceiling, I touched base with the lady of the house and explained what I'd done so far, and commented on the fact that her water pressure seemed awfully good for some reason. She agreed and said that her neighbor across the street was really enjoying the higher water pressure since the city installed the new water lines. Ding-dong, cukoo, cukoo.
This was my first exposure to water pressure issues. I called it in and the boss suggested I check for a pressure regulating valve and he described it to me. Crawled under the house and found the main shut off, but nothing like a PRV. Ultimately, I installed one and everything started acting right.
Now, getting back to the point of all this, as I made my way past the water heater on my way through the crawlspace, I noticed the T&P valve actuating with a little puff of steam and a few tablespoons of water drizzling out on the dirt. It was doing it rhythmically maybe every five seconds or so.
This was maybe 23-24 years ago.
