Hissing and Leak from Cold Water Intake

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newbie386

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Hi all. It's my first post here.

I've been hearing hissing and dripping sound from my hot water tank for a while, and I finally took a look recently and discovered it's coming from the cold water intake valve. There's also a hose connected to the valve which is directed to the drain and water and contantly dripping out from it.
Is this normal or do I need to change the valve?

Everything is 6 years old except for the heating elements in the tank(replaced last year). There's also drip from the hose connected to the pressure relief valve which is also 6 years old, so should I replace that also?

Lastly, I read somewhere that replacing the anode will extend the life of the tank. Is this something I can do myself who is almost a beginner in this kind of jobs?

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you!

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Reach4

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You probably want to post a photo of that. Also check for a device in line with your incoming water -- a pressure reducing valve, PRV. Your PRV may be bad.

It is not normal to have the temperature and pressure relief valve to be dripping.

Lastly, I read somewhere that replacing the anode will extend the life of the tank. Is this something I can do myself who is almost a beginner in this kind of jobs?
It would probably take an impact wrench with a 1-1/16 socket to loosen the old anode. So it is not hard to do if you have the tools.
 

Reach4

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Go get a pressure gauge. You can get one with a garden hose thread locally for under $20. Check the pressure of your water. If the pressure is over 80 PSI that means one thing. If under 80, that would mean something else.
 

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Dj2

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About the hissing/dripping: re-do the cold water valve connection.
 

newbie386

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I just measured it from the drain faucet of the hot water tank while nobody in the house was using water, and it shows 120 psi.

Is this normal? I haven't drained or flush the tank for the past 6 years by the way...
 

Dj2

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Normal acceptable pressure is 50 to 80, so 120 is way too high.
Step one: You have to regulate the pressure.
 

Reach4

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The high pressure is not due to a flaw in the WH. You would have seen that same high pressure at other places in your system, including the cold water side.

Inspect the pipe that comes into the house for things that are inline. I suspect there is a PRV that has failed and either needs rebuilding or replacement. I was guessing that the device passing the water continually is a pressure relief. Those are sometimes used as an alternative to the more common thermal expansion tank.

Dealing with the excess pressure is a priority.
 

newbie386

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hmm.. when I use water in kitchen or shower the pressure feels rather low compared to where I used to live. It was one of my complaints when I moved in to this newly built townhouse, the low water pressure. I haven't felt any change since day one.

Reach, when you say PRV do you mean the pressure relief valve attached to the tank, or pressure reducing valve which I guess is this one?

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Reach4

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pressure reducing valve. The thing on the tank is called a T&P valve (temperature and pressure).

You have the pressure gauge. Check if the pressure drops low at the WH or hose bib or laundry when you run the kitchen sink water. If the pressure drops low at the gauge, the new/repaired PRV will fix that. If the gauge pressure does not drop below 50, your pipes to the kitchen sink may be small. You may have debris in your aerator.
 

newbie386

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I just measured with the kitchen faucet open on hot water, and it drops to around 60 then when I closed it it comes back up from 100 slowly.
I also tried it with one of my bathroom's faucet which is right on the other side of the wall from the tank and got the same measurements.

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So this is pressure reducing valve issue.. but since the T&P valve is leaking I should also replace that right? and is 60 acceptable?
 

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newbie386

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Thank you so much Reach. I'm learning alot in just one day.

My concern now is if I adjust or replace the PRV to set the tank pressure to below 80 I will have less cold water pressure all over the house as well.
Is there a way to reduce just the tank pressure? On the very first picture in the original post there's a short piping that ends with a black cap. Maybe I could install a thermal expansion tank there?

edit: I just experiment with PRV turning it counter-clock wise a couple turns and I got the tank pressure around 100 which is still high, and now the whole house's water stream is very weak. The stream was already weak to begin with. So adjusting PRV is not a good option for me. I even wonder if the tank pressure was this high from the day one since we moved in.
 
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Reach4

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LRP_78LF-306-RV.jpg

I think you have a Combination water heater shut-off and thermal expansion relief valve. These are sometimes used as an alternative to using a thermal expansion tank. They should only release water after you have used hot water and the water heats back up. http://www.apollovalves.com/products/by_product_specific/402 is the one pictured, but there are other makes and models.

I think your PRV leaks water in no-use times. It seems to regulate when there is flow, but stop using water, and it passes water. That should not happen. Increasing water pressure during no-use times is not helping your faucet flow. You should get your PRV repaired or replaced.
 

newbie386

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Ok. So if I leave all faucets in the house closed, adjust the PRV bolt, and check the pressure on the tank it shouldn't affect the reading?
I just realized in the previous post I also turned the thermostat down when i adjust the PRV so i wasn't exactly sure if it was just the thermostat, PRV, or both that lowered the tank pressure.

So just now, while all faucets are closed, I checked the tank pressure, then turned the PRV bolt clock wise one full turn and re-checked the tank pressure(I did this process twice), and the pressure went up a bit both times. So PRV must be leaking the water in thus raising the pressure like you said. Did I get it right?

edit: I just rechecked the pressure after few hours of no water use, and the tank pressure is back to 120psi despite that the thermostat setting is still about 5c lower. So I guess lowing the thermostat didn't really help.
 
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