Water Heater Is Leaking From The Relief Valve

So when there s a lot of pressure being built inside our electric water heater pressure relief valve it will eventually start leaking water outwards.

Water heater is leaking from the relief valve. In the first case the valve will drain water out of the discharge pipe as explained above. When water is coming out of the pressure relief valve on your water heater it could signal that too much pressure is building up inside the water heater which is what the valve is designed for due to the burner or element not cutting off in which case the water heater needs to be repaired or replaced. As the water heater heats the water it expands which builds up pressure in what is now essentially a closed system. Usually what causes a leak is the minerals in the water that will deposit on your valve.

It s better to take precautions before waiting till things get worse. A leakage in your water heater pressure relief valve is a sign of a malfunction in your overflow valve. And many homeowners have complained that faulty and unattended temperature pressure relief valves have exploded at times they least expected in most cases. Either the valve was triggered to open because of excessive temperature or pressure or the valve itself is faulty.

Your water heater s relief valve can start leaking for one of two reasons. If it leaks then it can do quite a bit of damage in just a short amount of time with just the water that is leaked. This extra amount of pressure causes the water to expand although it s a closed system that we have in electric water heaters.