How To Reset Hot Water Heater Relief Valve

First turn off the gas to the water heater or flip the breaker if it s electric.

How to reset hot water heater relief valve. Reopen the hot water faucet and allow it to run until all of the air has escaped from the tank and line. Turn off the hot water faucet you opened earlier. Close the cold water cut off valve going into the water heater. If the valve is doing its job and hot water is dripping or spewing out of the tpr drain valve turn down the temperature on the water heater controller and or turn down the water pressure.

If you do try to fix it here are the basic steps involved. On the one hand it is often an annoying little piece of piping that drips onto the floor. If you don t regularly test your. The temperature and pressure relief valve on your water heater is a crucial component of your water heater that should never be removed or disabled.

Check that the valve is not pinned to the water heater by a brace. Disconnect the overflow tube you may have to cut it and unscrew the valve with a wrench. Open the valve at the bottom and the pressure relief valve for a minute to drain a little. Turn on the cold water inlet valve and allow the tank to fill.

Then take your wrench and place it over the water pressure relief valve. The pipe leaving the relief valve should be the same diameter as the exhaust port of the valve usually 3 4 inch. The pressure relief valve can be manually opened but cannot be reset. It has been noted time and time again that people don t really understand what this little valve is doing and it can sometimes be taped over or removed leaving the water heater without any means of relieving the pressure inside.

If it is remove this using a screwdriver. Turn it slowly anti clockwise until it comes away from the water heater. Here are other things to pay attention to. Make sure that there are no leaks.

Open a hot water faucet near the heater to release pressure and drain the tank until the water level is below the valve.