It’s imperative to do anything you can to keep your hot water heater in tiptop condition. People depend on water heaters for food preparation purposes, bathing and much more. Excessive water pressure is without a doubt a bad thing for any water heater. If you suspect that your water heater has excess pressure for any reason, you should take action. It can help to pay attention to temperature and pressure relief matters. The more you understand your water heater, the easier it will be for you to keep it running smoothly and easily. Understanding your water heater well may even be able to help you keep water heater repair needs at bay.
How Do I Know If My Water Heater Has Too Much Pressure
Identifying a water heater that has excessive pressure may be a lot easier than you think, luckily enough. If your water heater has excess pressure, you may hear your pipes making unpleasant and jarring clanging noises. You may lose precious hot water quickly any time you try to shower in the morning. You may notice faucet leakage in your bathrooms and kitchen. You may even have a running toilet on your hands. If you’re dealing with any of those issues, your water system’s pressure may be immoderately high. Thankfully, you can use a water pressure gauge to test things out. What pressure level should you go for, anyway? Aim for a range of 40 to 60 PSI (short for “pounds per square inch”). Residential water pressure should not surpass 60 PSI. If it ever surpasses that, it may bring on substantial appliance, faucet and pipe damage. Relieving pressure is vital in many cases. Installation of a straightforward pressure release valve is in no way difficult. People typically install these relief valves close to their shut-off valves. A pressure relief valve will restrict your water pressure to a designated span. That’s how it may relieve your system’s burden. If you reside in a place that’s on the newer side, then you may have a pressure relief valve in place without even knowing it. A pressure relief valve doesn’t last forever, though. If you have a pressure relief valve, you can expect it to remain intact and reliable for anywhere between seven and 12 years in total.
What Causes Excess Pressure in a Hot Water Heater?
If your hot water heater has too much pressure, then you’re probably not responsible. You may reside in a home that’s right by a fire hydrant. It may involve your municipal water system as well. This system has to accommodate the water needs of a large region. That’s why it may pump water using pretty steep pressure levels. Although this high pressure may be perfectly normal for the municipal water supply, it may be more pressure than any home needs or wants.
What specifically causes too much pressure? A water heater’s increased pressure may have causes that have nothing to do with municipal systems, too. When water heats, it expands and because of that requires more space. This brings on expansion tank pressure increases and is known as “thermal expansion.” Significant pressure builds are not welcome in the hot water heater universe.
If you want to protect yourself from the stresses of water heater bursts, then you should take them 100 percent seriously. Perhaps your hot water heater is full of cold water. After the water heats, the amount of water will increase thanks to the previously mentioned thermal expansion. Understanding the causes of excess water, excessive water pressure and temperature and pressure relief matters in general may help you safeguard your heating systems from future issues. What happens once water expands and causes too much pressure? The answers to that question usually aren’t pleasant.
What else causes too much pressure? Sediment build up is actually one option. If your hot water heater isn’t running properly, this accumulation may be the reason. It can bring on both overheating and tank degradation.
Sediment is just the beginning. Think about rust corrosion, too. Your hot water heater may consist of sturdy steel. This material is primarily iron. That’s why the presence of water may slowly but surely bring on rust development. Your heater may have a rod that can defend it from potential rust. This type of rod wears out with the passing of time, though. If your hot tap water has a strange brownish tone, then that may point to a rod that’s no longer doing its job correctly. If your rod is tired and old, rusting is practically inevitable.
Excessive internal pressure is yet another possibility. If your hot water tank has immoderate pressure, it will develop a leak at some point. It’ll burst as well. Too much pressure can go extremely far, too. It can sometimes cause bona fide tank explosions. The positive news is that an effective pressure relief valve should keep this nightmare scenario out of your mind.
It’s important to do your part to protect yourself from too much pressure and all of its consequences. You should recruit a licensed professional in the plumbing business to provide you with annual water heater maintenance. Taking care of your water heater can spare you the headaches of many problems. You need to be mindful of things such as how long do hot water heaters take to heat up, as well as the maintenance schedule you have kept since installation.
Why Is My Water Pressure So High All of a Sudden?
Sudden water pressure changes can be unnerving and unsettling, to say the least. Don’t just think about water heaters, expansion tanks and anything else along those lines. Think about plumbing matters overall. If your water heater’s pressure has taken a sudden turn for the worse, the aforementioned causes may be behind things. If your pressure levels in general have increased, you should think about pressure regulator breakdowns, fixture clogs, pipe clogs, pipe cracking and water valve shutoff. If you don’t want any plumbing hassles to happen in your home, you should pay close attention to pressure shifts that are abrupt and seemingly inexplicable.
How Do You Reduce the Pressure on a Water Heater?
Again, the assistance of a dependable pressure relief valve can go a long way. Understanding how to use a pressure relief valve may keep your water heater in fine working order. If you don’t want to devote a lot of time to thoughts about water heaters and their ins and outs, you should make sure you understand pressure relief valve use well. Your T & P valve may be right by the upper section of your heater. It typically is equipped with a lever that you can adjust. If you want to open the T & P valve, just elevate it and wait for the connected brass stem to come up. After this, hot water should emerge. Finally, press the lever down again. Doing this should shut the T & P valve and therefore do away with the flow of water.
What makes opening the valve necessary? Opening the valve can help you see to it that it’s working in the correct manner. A valve that’s faulty is in no way useful. Opening the valve can also help you stay on top of water leak hassles that may be on the horizon. Don’t rule out the possibility of a pesky heater leak. These leaks are pretty common. Opening the valve, last but definitely not least, can help you say goodbye to pressure accumulation inside of your tank.
A Careful Look at the Pressure Relief Valve Universe
It’s not only important to do everything you can to tackle your water heater maintenance duties. You should also think about temperature and pressure relief matters. Think about heating element matters overall. You can do this by making valve maintenance a top priority. This kind of upkeep may save you from many plumbing concerns.
Luckily, valve maintenance is often a part of overall water heater upkeep. If you want to stay on top of your valve and its operations, you should get in touch with a plumbing expert. Reach out to a plumber who knows a lot about thermostat matters, temperature setting choices, water damage, air, household appliances, drain cleaning, leak headaches, tank operations and beyond. Reach out to one who can provide you with repairs that cover all of the bases. All of these subjects tie in with each other.
Contact the Hard-Working Water Heater Powerhouses at Emergency Plumbing Squad
What causes too much pressure in hot water heater options? If you want to get to the bottom of that pressing question, you should hire the talented plumbers at Emergency Plumbing Squad for maintenance work and more. These professionals can answer all of your expansion tank questions. They can talk to you about water heater maintenance strategies that actually work. If you want to forget all about water heater leaking difficulties, then your best bet is to work with plumbers who are qualified, detail-oriented and efficient. After listening to the concerns our customers have, we’ve also put together a helpful guide on the best portable water heater for camping and outdoors.