GregN31
New Member
Hello,
I recently discovered water pooling on the floor below the relief valve on the water heater. It appeared to have a slow drip at the time, so I had a plumber out who replaced the valve with a brand new one. To watch for any further problems, I put a bucket under the discharge pipe for the relief valve.
Intermittently, I'm finding somewhere about 1-2 cups of water in the bucket. I empty it and put it back and hours later I find another few cups. The valve is NOT leaking constantly, it appears to be firing occasionally apparently.
The water heater is 5 years old. The plumber checked the pressure at my water meter and at that time it was 80 PSI. I think I must have a backflow preventer, although I don't see it (but then again I'm not 100% sure what it should look like) because I'm quite certain the city code requires it. The code says:
"The City of Sioux Falls potable water system shall be protected from all
cross connections by a backflow prevention assembly in accordance with the City of Sioux Falls Plumbing Code and approved by the City of Sioux Falls Engineering Division."
From my understanding a "cross connection" would be my house and their city water at the water meter I guess.
By the way, turning down the temperature setting on the water heater appears to make no difference.
What is the most logical cause? Could it be that there is a spike in pressure from the city occasionally? Would a expansion tank on the cold water line going into the water heater be a good idea? Is 80 PSI an acceptable value?
I can catch the water in the bucket, as long as the volume doesn't increase or frequency doesn't increase, but that doesn't address the root cause.
Ideas?
Thanks,
Greg
I recently discovered water pooling on the floor below the relief valve on the water heater. It appeared to have a slow drip at the time, so I had a plumber out who replaced the valve with a brand new one. To watch for any further problems, I put a bucket under the discharge pipe for the relief valve.
Intermittently, I'm finding somewhere about 1-2 cups of water in the bucket. I empty it and put it back and hours later I find another few cups. The valve is NOT leaking constantly, it appears to be firing occasionally apparently.
The water heater is 5 years old. The plumber checked the pressure at my water meter and at that time it was 80 PSI. I think I must have a backflow preventer, although I don't see it (but then again I'm not 100% sure what it should look like) because I'm quite certain the city code requires it. The code says:
"The City of Sioux Falls potable water system shall be protected from all
cross connections by a backflow prevention assembly in accordance with the City of Sioux Falls Plumbing Code and approved by the City of Sioux Falls Engineering Division."
From my understanding a "cross connection" would be my house and their city water at the water meter I guess.
By the way, turning down the temperature setting on the water heater appears to make no difference.
What is the most logical cause? Could it be that there is a spike in pressure from the city occasionally? Would a expansion tank on the cold water line going into the water heater be a good idea? Is 80 PSI an acceptable value?
I can catch the water in the bucket, as long as the volume doesn't increase or frequency doesn't increase, but that doesn't address the root cause.
Ideas?
Thanks,
Greg