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Salt Lake City Office
963 Folsom Avenue
Salt Lake City, UT 84104-1130
Phone: (801) 355-4433
Hours: 24/7
Your water heater makes life convenient. Hot baths and showers, warm water for dishes, and washing clothes – it’s all become a part of daily life for many. However, a malfunctioning hot water system isn’t just frustration, but a danger as well when highly-pressurized tanks become involved. Upon troubleshooting your water heater, you may find that it’s your water heater pressure relief valve that’s giving you a problem. Fortunately, this is a fairly common problem and is generally quite easy to identify when you know the right signs to keep an eye out for.
As the name suggests, this part helps to relieve pressure on the water tank when necessary. When the water cools and heats, it contracts and expands over and over again, at times placing a great deal of pressure on the inside of your hot water tank. In most water heaters, the superfluous water will travel back up the cold water inlet and back to the home’s water supply. However, in homes with valve checks or one-way valves and pressure regulators, this is impossible, meaning the water stays in the tank and pressure continues to build. The pressure relief valve lets a bit of this water leak out when necessary in order to keep this pressure inside the tank at safe levels.
Before you can check your valve for damage, you’ll have to find it. The valve in question is a small pipe that extends away from the tank in a downward direction.
Since it’s a rather simple, straightforward part, issues with a pressure relief valve are typically easy to spot. There are five telltale signs to keep an eye out for if you’ve been experiencing issues with your water heater:
If you’ve experienced any of these issues, then yes, it’s likely that your pressure relief valve is bad. Fortunately, the fix is easy, especially when you have a group of knowledgeable professionals on your side.
However, the job doesn’t end at the fix. To ensure your water heater is still in good working condition and ready to face the challenge of keeping up with daily hot water needs, contact Whipple Service Champions. Schedule an appointment to have your valve inspected and replaced and get your water heater back to normal again in no time.