Hot water release valve running 24/7

[ChesterW]

HI I am wondering if anyone can tell me if i need this valve attached to my hot water line at my laundry tub. it runs 24/7.

 

[DonL]

Yes you need it.

You also need to find out why it is leaking.

Maybe over pressure ?

It looks like You have PVC that is not rated for hot water use.


Good Luck.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ChesterW]

Thx DonL. It was installed about 4 years ago and all was good before. That. We did just get a new hot water heater with the required expansion tank. So I was wondering if we can now remove thus valve. I was thinking that it is just stuck open because when we run the hot water it still runs. Thoughts ?

 

[Terry]

A pressure relief valve.
Normally you would have a PRV on the water heater, but sometimes if the water heater is in a location where it can't be drained, they will place a 125 PSI relief somewhere else in the system.

I would spin in a new replacement.

It looks to me that someone painted your copper pipes.
At first I thought they were PVC. I had to look twice.

 

[hj]

It is a pressure relief valve, but since we do not know the pressure in your system or what pressure the valve is set for, we cannot tell you if the valve is defective and should be replaced.

 

[Dj2]

Continuing the above answers:

- For hot water you need a pipe which is not pvc.
- For the drain from the relief valve, you need 3/4" copper, and in my city, code says to bring it outside the building down to 6" above the ground.
- If you have a pressure reducing valve and your pressure is high, your reducer may be defective.
- Do you see any other faucet leaking?

 

[Jadnashua]

Some people install a relief valve, most people control the pressure more carefully so one is only there as an emergency backup, if at all. As has been said, without knowing what your system pressure is, there's no way to know if the valve is opening as it was designed, or has failed.

Code requires the home's system pressure to be <=80psi. If it gets above that, you need to know why and fix it. If it is a closed system, it could simply be you need an expansion tank. If you have one, you may need to add a pressure reduction valve (PRV). And, if you don't have an expansion tank, you need one of those, too.

 

[hj]

quote; - For hot water you need a pipe which is not pvc.

From the looks of the fittings, I think it is copper tubing painted white,( it would have been "difficult" to solder that adapter tee into a PVC pipe line).
The drain IS "full size" CPVC which conforms to the letter of the code, if not the spirit of it. The lack of an expansion tank, if he actually needed one, would NOT cause a 24/7 discharge from the valve. It has to either be a failed valve or constant excessive pressure in the system.