Water Heater PRV leaking after Fire Hydrant Flush

[Aaron Beatty]

Hi,

Overnight, the town water department flushed the fire hydrants on my street. This morning I found that the Pressure Relief Valve on my water heater (Rheem 75-Gallon Gas Standard Tall) has a constant drip - fortunately I have a sensor to alert me that it was wet.

My question is, is normal or common that the flushing of the fire hydrants might cause a PRV to drip, perhaps due to a change in pressure after the flushing, and is this likely to stop after a day or two, or is this likely just be a coincidence and there is an issue with the tank?

Thanks in advance

Aaron

 

[Jeff H Young]

common ? I dont know , but sudden pressure changes from large vollumes of water can cause all kinds of stuff like main lines blowing up underground on old piping . but a perfectly good t and p Id say no just buy a new one and change it out is what I would do . i suppose if you hire a contractor and he charges even 200 bucks it kinda sucks But beeing a plumber Its a non event to me changing a t and p valve

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Aaron Beatty]

common ? I dont know , but sudden pressure changes from large vollumes of water can cause all kinds of stuff like main lines blowing up underground on old piping . but a perfectly good t and p Id say no just buy a new one and change it out is what I would do . i suppose if you hire a contractor and he charges even 200 bucks it kinda sucks But beeing a plumber Its a non event to me changing a t and p valve

I did contact a plumber, just because the water heater is still under warranty. He suggested monitoring it for a few days to see if it stops, and perhaps the pressure regulates after the hydrant flush. He also mentioned that if it doesn't I may need to install an expansion tank. I am capable of replacing the T&P, so perhaps I try that after monitoring for a couple of days, before going down the expansion tank route if that is needed.

With that said, is it normal for a T&P to have to be replaced after only 3 years?

 

[Jeff H Young]

I did contact a plumber, just because the water heater is still under warranty. He suggested monitoring it for a few days to see if it stops, and perhaps the pressure regulates after the hydrant flush. He also mentioned that if it doesn't I may need to install an expansion tank. I am capable of replacing the T&P, so perhaps I try that after monitoring for a couple of days, before going down the expansion tank route if that is needed.

With that said, is it normal for a T&P to have to be replaced after only 3 years?

No but they are a bit finicky they can fail just looking at them Ive had several fail on new installations. On other hand I cant see this causing a good valve to go bad. Try working the valve repeatedly it might clear itself