Water heater leaking?

jmccracken1214

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After we shower, or did a lot of dishes, Ive noticed a puddle at the water heater in our basement. The pressure valve is at the top and has a copper pipe running from it down the side to the floor and it always seems to leak maybe 2-3 cups of water after a shower... is this normal? (im assuming no)

Solution? Change the valve?

Ive never messed with a water heater before.
 
How hot is the water compared to the tstat setting? How old is the water heater?
 
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That’s the pop off valve for excessive pressure in the tank. It could be a bad valve and it’s a simple replacement. Or it could be the thermostat is not regulatimg the temperature correctly. It also is easy to replace. Heck, change both instead of replacing the water heater.


Water heaters have a hose bib valve on the bottom of the tank. The tank should be emptied every year as part of preventative maintenence.
 
That’s the pop off valve for excessive pressure in the tank. It could be a bad valve and it’s a simple replacement. Or it could be the thermostat is not regulatimg the temperature correctly. It also is easy to replace. Heck, change both instead of replacing the water heater.


Water heaters have a hose bib valve on the bottom of the tank. The tank should be emptied every year as part of preventative maintenence.
Guess I need to drain it and swap those parts out.
 
Do you know how old it is?
 
i do not. I think it's less than 10 years old
It may be time to replace it.
A lot depends on if it was a new house 10 years ago, = cheap contractor water heater.
Also what manufacture and model.
DO NOT mess around trying to save an old cheap WH, get a new good one if you have any concerns.
 
It may be time to replace it.
A lot depends on if it was a new house 10 years ago, = cheap contractor water heater.
Also what manufacture and model.
DO NOT mess around trying to save an old cheap WH, get a new good one if you have any concerns.
I just asked about the date it was put in, will post back if I find that out.

It doesnt look old, it's a Kenmore Power Miser 12
 
Are you sure that the water is coming from the pop off valve? Stick a cup under the pipe or shove a tissue in it before you start taking stuff apart.
 
Cycle the T&P safety valve a few times, sometimes you get some mineral deposits and it will leak.

Do you have an expansion tank with the heater, the diaphragm can wear out and the tank will not work properly.

Agree look to replace it soon. Newer heaters use a coil pipe to stir up any sediment in the bottom of the tank as it fills.
When you drain a few gallons out the spigot the water may look a bit yellow.
 
A water heater is easy to swap out if you have an electric type. With quick connects (sometimes referred to as shark bites) a homeowner can do it. If its gas I would leave that to the pro. I had a leak in my gas water heater during a Christmas holiday and there wasn't a tank in the area. Then all the gas exhaust flue had to be completely repiped as did the natural gas line due to the new water heater connections being on the front and higher in elevation. Before I was done I had $1000 in it with me doing the labor. Two years later water was spewing out the gas valve/temp control. Everything is junk now. I emptied it and installed a new control. I had an expansion tank failure and it got replaced at the same time. Lucky for me I have all the tools, pipe wrenches, pipe threading machine, and knowledge to do all this. Nothing like December 22nd and no suppliers with inventory.

The biggest problem as stated above is water pressure control and water hammering (sudden influx of water). This is why an expansion tank should be on top of the heater.
 
There are a few things that could be causing this

#1. Are you on city water, and is there a pressure reducer on the house.
No=never mind
Yes= there could have been excess pressure through out the system (street side) and your pressure reducer failed to work properly or it is going out. Easiest way to test this is to buy a gauge and put it on your system to see what your pressure is at inside your house.

#2. Bad pressure relief valve(most likely the cause)
Have some one run water up stairs and shut it off quickly and see what happens.
Did it leak when you did this?
No=still could be bad and it is just an iinternment issue.
Yes= there's your culprit. Cut off the power drain the tank put on a new one fill the tank back up bleed off all the air and put the power back to it.

#3. There is always the possibility that the thermostats are not working properly. The easiest way to test this is with a thermometer and to see what the thermostats are set at. If they're set at 120 and you're getting a 140 degree water at your faucet then you know you have a problem. Keep in mind you should have some slight temperature drop from your water heater to the faucet but it should not be too outrageous.
 
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I started seeing a little water in my floor around where my water heater was. I turned it off, took the panel off that hides it, floor was wet in there. After all the normal checks(taking the panels off and checking for wet insulation), I called a plumber friend of mine who came and told me I was I same that all the normal checks didn’t add up to a bad water heater. Told me to wait a couple days and see if it got worse. It did. I called him to come help me put another In after I couldn’t get this one to drain right, and when he got there he swore it wasn’t the water heater. I took a mirror and flashlight and looked on the back side against the wall and it was shooting Water out of the seam at the top against the wall. Craziest thing I’ve ever seen
 
10 years is a good ride from a water heater these days. They just get more expensive and more cheaply made every 10 years. Have to keep those CEO's in gold plated toilets. Thanks GE!
 
I think our last one lasted 12 years, and failed from corrosion. Of course I never drained it because I didn't know any Better. Bradford White natural gas.
 
Is there an expansion tank on the water heater? Water expands when heated, and without an expansion tank, some water will come out the pressure relief valve.
 
There are a few things that could be causing this

#1. Are you on city water, and is there a pressure reducer on the house.
No=never mind
Yes= there could have been excess pressure through out the system (street side) and your pressure reducer failed to work properly or it is going out. Easiest way to test this is to buy a gauge and put it on your system to see what your pressure is at inside your house.

#2. Bad pressure relief valve(most likely the cause)
Have some one run water up stairs and shut it off quickly and see what happens.
Did it leak when you did this?
No=still could be bad and it is just an iinternment issue.
Yes= there's your culprit. Cut off the power drain the tank put on a new one fill the tank back up bleed off all the air and put the power back to it.

#3. There is always the possibility that the thermostats are not working properly. The easiest way to test this is with a thermometer and to see what the thermostats are set at. If they're set at 120 and you're getting a 140 degree water at your faucet then you know you have a problem. Keep in mind you should have some slight temperature drop from your water heater to the faucet but it should not be too outrageous.

If there is a pressure reducing valve, and it is 7 - 8 years old, it may be failing. Some parts of town can have redicilous high pressure as they try and pump water to more remote areas. Mountains also contribute to that, as I have 360PSI at the meter here. This requires two heavy duty PRV's in series and I had them installed at the street to keep the pressure out of my house entirely.
 
10 years is a good ride from a water heater these days. They just get more expensive and more cheaply made every 10 years. Have to keep those CEO's in gold plated toilets. Thanks GE!

Main reason gas fired water heaters are more expensive is the safety features they now have,
Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant (FVIR) will shut down fresh air to the burner.
The new heaters all have flat bottoms instead of the old three legs design.

GE licenses their brand for many items they no longer manufacture.
GE water heaters are made by Rheem div of Paloma in the USA, that is owned by a company in Japan.
AO Smith is also the largest US manufacturer of water heaters, they make the models sold in Lowes.
 
If there is a pressure reducing valve, and it is 7 - 8 years old, it may be failing. Some parts of town can have redicilous high pressure as they try and pump water to more remote areas. Mountains also contribute to that, as I have 360PSI at the meter here. This requires two heavy duty PRV's in series and I had them installed at the street to keep the pressure out of my house entirely.
Wow, you must be in the shadow of the water tower!
 
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Another plumbing problem...not to waylay the thread...one of my guys just left after fixing my outside H/C shower. OH!!! Happy Days!!
 
Wow, you must be in the shadow of the water tower!
This is actually a common misconception pressure is lowest at the water tower. When I was running the distribution system for the town of Franklinville it was the hardest thing to get people to understand.
1 foot of water equals about .43 PSI. Here is a online conversion tool that I used to show a lot of people. The further away from the water tower you are in elevation the higher your pressure is. But if you're 5 miles away from the water tower and you are basically at the same elevation as the water tower that your pressure is almost zero.

https://www.convertunits.com/from/foot+of+water/to/psi
 
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