My Water Heater Leaked Again!

[Jodi1980]

and again soaked the family room. I talked to the plumber and he is replacing something to do with the pressure release value. Since there is no drain near the heater, I asked him if he could attach something from the release value to the pipes so if the water heat leaked again, the water would not flood downstairs. He said he looks like he could do it for about $30. My question is, if it does leak in the future, will it be bad that we won't know that it leaked since the water went right into the piping?

Thanks!

 

[Towncrier]

We had this problem when our new water heater was installed a few years ago. Fortunately there is a drain near our water heater. Unfortunately, everything near the drain got soaked the two times that the pressure value released. Coincidentally, the pressure release valve seemed to trigger every time the fire department flushed the fire hydrants on our street. Apparently, when the turn the fire hydrant off, there is a rapid increase in pressure in our water lines and the hot water heater pressure valve releases a stream of hot water onto our basement floor.

I thought about running a hose from the valve to the drain, but I ended up putting a one gallon plastic bucket underneath the valve. Since doing that, I've only found water in the bucket one time. And our friend on the fire department is aware of our problem and when she is part of the crew flushing hydrants on our street, she makes sure to turn the hydrant off SLOWLY in order to reduce the pressure buildup.

We never had this problem with our old water heater. I think that the pressure relief valves must be more sensitive these days. Hope you can find a way to stay dry.

 

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

You need a WAGS valve ! WAGS stands for Water And Gas Safety valve. The idea for the WAGS valve was born out of experiencing the pain and frustration of not be able to offer a solution to a customer's problem. Back in 1986, while working for a plumber and replacing approximately four water heaters daily, Paul Almberg saw the devastation to people's property that a leaking water heater causes. The homeowners were usually angry and disgusted that there wasn't a product to prevent their tank from ruining everything. So he began work on a product that would eventually evolve into the WAGS valve.
The WAGS valve is designed to shut off the water supply (plus gas supply for gas-fired heaters) in the event of a water leak from a hot water heater, thus minimizing water damage and possible gas leakage. The valve can be installed on all styles of water heaters. The valve is fully mechanical and requires no external power supply.

 

[Jodi1980]

How much water can leak from the pressure release value?

 

[Towncrier]

In my case, hopefully not more than a gallon.

If the overpressure condition persists or the valve gets stuck, you can end up with a lot of water coming out of the overpressure valve. You might also look into installing a water pressure regulator on the water line as it enters your house. This would prevent any outside sources from creating an overpressure condition with your internal house plumbing.

I'm going to have to look into a WAGS valve.