Water heater TP valve leaking

[CEPenworks]

Nothing that I know of has changed, no leaky faucets fixed or meters changed unless the water authority changed something way upstream. The temp has been much milder than usual so I don't see how the incoming water would be any colder than previous years. I will get a gauge and check the pressure. I would like to confirm the problem before I go to the hassle of putting in a fix.

[EightFingers]

City here (Henderson) does not require expansion tanks even if there’s a pressure reducing valve so plumbers don’t put them in. I don’t have tank on mine either either, but I’m thinking about installing one just in case.
I heard some PRVs do allow for thermal expansion, but not sure mine does.

[CEPenworks]

I finally got a gauge on the water line. The incoming pressure is set at 90psi. The hot water tank spikes at 140psi. I will turn the pressure down to 80psi to see if that fixes the problem.

[Snipe Hunter]

I finally got a gauge on the water line. The incoming pressure is set at 90psi. The hot water tank spikes at 140psi. I will turn the pressure down to 80psi to see if that fixes the problem.

That's kinda high. We like to see 40-80psi inspecting homes. If it's an older home with iron pipe and I see anything nearing 80psi, I'll tell the buyer to have a plumber look at it. Every time, the plumber has replaced the pressure regulator and got it down to the 65-70 range. Below 80 if the house has modern (CPVC/PEX or copper) supply pipe.

[CEPenworks]

The adjustment screw on the regulator was only about one turn from bottoming out. I turned it about 7 turns out and no decrease in pressure. It is a Wilkins model 70. Found a rebuild kit for $60.Will give that a try.

[Snipe Hunter]

The adjustment screw on the regulator was only about one turn from bottoming out. I turned it about 7 turns out and no decrease in pressure. It is a Wilkins model 70. Found a rebuild kit for $60.Will give that a try.

A word of warning. Don't know how old the house or the main shutoff valve is but any home inspector worth his salt won't touch a main water valve which you'll need to do to replace the regulator. If the valve looks new and it's a ball valve with a lever, I'll check it. But if it's a gate valve with a knob, we don't mess with them. Often times their locked up or they'll start leaking once turned. Nothing worse than babysitting a home while waiting for emergency service from a plumber on my dime.

If it were my house and I had any trouble at all tuning the valve, I'd call a plumber. Nobody likes calling a pro less than I do (except maybe Sean).

[CEPenworks]

The house is 20 years old and has a good ball valve where is comes in the house.

I do find it interesting that if I turn the adjusting screw way out it does not restrict pressure when static. As soon as you flush a toilet the pressure drops below 40psi. Turning the screw back in helps maintain pressure when water is flowing but allows it to increase when the water shuts off. Will be interested to see how it operates once it is rebuilt.

[Roly]

The house is 20 years old and has a good ball valve where is comes in the house.

I do find it interesting that if I turn the adjusting screw way out it does not restrict pressure when static. As soon as you flush a toilet the pressure drops below 40psi. Turning the screw back in helps maintain pressure when water is flowing but allows it to increase when the water shuts off. Will be interested to see how it operates once it is rebuilt.

Normally the regulator has a screen in the inlet, make sure you clean this also.   Roly

[blackhat]

Odd you didn’t notice the taps trying to blow a hole in the sinks. When you have it apart, make sure you check the seat in the reg. It could be wire drawn after this long. It is normal to have static pressure a few psi higher than under flow conditions when operating normally. 5 to 10 psi higher would not be a concern.

[FireWood]

90 psi is a lot of pressure for residential water.


In my old house I was having a low pressure situation to my irrigation lines, so I overhauled it.  Along the way I scrapped the pressure regulator because adjusting it wasn't doing anything to increase (or attenuate) pressure.

So I took a day off of work, tore out all the plumbing between the water meter and the sprinkler heads, and started fresh with 3/4 copper and pro-press fittings, and high flow hose bibs...

By the end of the day, I could shoot a column of water from my hose nozzle from my yard, across the street to my neighbors lawn without a single drop hitting the pavement.  


With two hose lines open, the water meter was spinning so fast you could actually hear the gears whine like a little jet engine - from inside the house !!


I got a new pressure regulator and put it back in.