Water heater t&p valvereplacement

When water heats it expands, just as mercury in a thermometer expands rising up the scale to show you a person’s body temperature. If the expansion of the mercury were to exceed the capacity of the thermometer the thermometer would explode. When water heats in a water heater it also expands. The expanding water will typically push back into the supply line preventing excessive pressure from building inside the water heater.

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Why would a backflow preventer/check valve be installed in the first place? To prevent your home’s water from backing up into the main supply. Removal of the backflow preventer/check valve may not be an option, as it is likely required by codes in your area. Removal of a pressure reducing valve is also not a likely option, as controlling the water pressure into the home may be necessary.

Watch the water level at the sight glass. When the water level gets low, the burner should shut off. If during this test the water level falls below the level of the sight glass and the burner is still firing, your system has not passed the test. In this situation, you should immediately restart the feedwater pump, shut down the boiler, and contact WARE for an evaluation. Chances are, you either have:

If your burner doesn’t shut off when you open the blowdown valve, or if it doesn’t restart when your water level returns to normal, contact our service department immediately. We’ll send a technician over right away to get you fixed up and operating safely.

When a check valve (backflow preventer) or pressure reducing valve is installed without a built-in bypass water is not allowed to push back into the supply line. Pressure instead builds within the water heater. At 150 psi the T&P will begin releasing water to reduce the pressure within the water heater for your protection.  Should this occur we recommend that you install a properly sized expansion tank. An expansion tank helps by absorbing the excess water pressure in a diaphragm tank. The diaphragm allows for water to flow into the expansion tank as it is being heated and expanding and flow back into the water heater at other times. An expansion tank will prevent wasting water released from the T and P during expansion, as well.

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In a properly-working boiler, a low water level should trigger a shutdown of the burner system. That’s a good thing, because if your boiler keeps firing without enough water in it, it becomes an extreme risk to life and property. Checking your low-water cutoff regularly is extremely important. There are two ways to do it.

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To perform a standard low-water test, your boiler needs to be set at a reduced firing rate (50% or lower). Then, simply open the low-water cutoff blowdown valve and monitor the sight glass to make sure the water is draining rapidly. As the water level drops, the low-water cutoff safety should engage, and the burner should shut off. If it does, then simply close the valve and let the water level build back up until the burner restarts.

The temperature and pressure relief valve is a safety device that is installed at the factory.  It is designed to open on a residential water heater, for your protection, when there is excessive water temperature or excessive water pressure. There are many things that result in conditions causing a T&P to release water. Thermal Expansion in a closed system is a common cause that is often the last to be considered.

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Both situations can be remedied by our skilled service technicians. Remember, no matter what your boiler needs, WARE is standing by to help.

A more thorough way to test your water cutoff safety, though, is with a Slow Low Cutoff Test. This test better reflects the real-world conditions under which a cutoff safety would operate. To perform the test, your burner needs to be set at 50% or lower. Instead of opening the blowdown valve to force a rapid low-water situation, you are going to turn off the feedwater pump. Once the supply of feedwater stops, the boiler will begin converting all the remaining water to steam, and the water level will slowly drop since no feedwater is replenishing the boiler.

When water heats in a water heater it expands. The expanding water will typically push back into the supply line preventing excessive pressure from building inside the water heater and often causing a drip or leak from the T&P valve