terkio wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 5:46 am
Isn't it simply operating the valve ( open then close ) without removal.
I don't feel lucky... what if I test it and it doesn't stop leaking?
So do I.
Despite of service manuals and internet advices, I rather not touch it, in case it is so badly stuck from scale, it won't go back closed.
At my place, heathers die choke full of limestone scale anyway....Then is time for maintenance.
My typical local water heater failure mode is internal corrosion. I ignored the rusty colored hot water but when my old heater rusted through the heater element casing to the point that I was feeling electrical shocks from my shower water, it was time to pay attention.
I have come to the conclusion that the water heater manufacturers provide a sacrificial anode that is sized to last just long enough for the warranty. Further they make them all but impossible to replace. I decided to proactively check and replace my anode before it was consumed (within first two years). No luck, even using a long handle on my breaker bar. Then I upgraded to a compressed air impact wrench, still no luck breaking it loose. I even hired my local plumber to get it out, and he couldn't so it's not just because I am old and weak.
The heater is only 5 years old, but the T&P relief vale leaking is a nudge toward considering replacement.
A tankless hot water heater would be most efficient but requires more current than available from the existing drop to support a decent shower. I have seen modest flow heaters that can draw power from two 40A breakers, I suspect I could repurpose breakers from my in wall radiant heaters that are no longer in use, but still beyond DIY wiring for me.
I could get away with a smaller replacement tank/heater. They make as small as 19 gallon with only one heat element, that should work for me. But let's see how the replacement T&P valve works.
The old T&P valve is still damp/wet so it hasn't dried out yet. I just put a plastic cup under it to see if it is still leaking.
[update- it didn't take long for dripping water to accumulate in the plastic cup, now I am thinking perhaps it was neither a temperature or pressure event but just an old fashioned leak. still sux.... I rigged a spare washing machine discharge hose to capture the drip. /update]
JR
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