What would you do in this case?:

8 months ago. Tiny drip from T&P.

-Checked incoming pressure for days. OK. (55-60 psi incoming, never a need for PRV in our area in 60+ years).

-Replaced small expansion tank with larger tank. Tiny drip occurred again.

finally

-Replaced the T&P (only a year old at the time) which seems to have worked since I saw no moisture for 8 months.

fast forward to last week I notice tiny drip occurred again.

-Checked PSI on new expansion tank and is OK set for 56 psi
-Checked pressure from street. OK (55-60 psi).
-Checked pressure after heat cycle of water heater. It rose from 55 static prior to heating to 60 after heating while expansion tank set to 56 psi.


Water temperature is also set to low setting. I get about 135 hottest at times from the tap. Also this drip is one tiny bit of moisture under the discharge. If this was temperature related I assume it would spill water big time, is that a fair assumption?


So all I can think of again is the valve.


So today I replaced it again and am waiting now to see if this one drips. When I removed the old valve I can see green corrosion on the internal part of the valve.

So if your still with me, what would you do in this case?



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I would pat myself on the back for a job well done and go about living. lol

yeah pat myself on the back .... or pull my hair out. The verdict isn't in yet.

It seems that companies are building parts on the cheap and failure is expected for a certain % of products. How can consumers rely on products anymore. As you guys know Kohler, American Standard, Moen, Delta virtually all of the companies in business today are cutting their quality to compete with the Chinese, Indians and Koreans. We all pay dearly for buying cheap. The auto companies are just as bad. Compare Toyota, Honda to Kia and the like. Sure you pay more for a Toyota than a Kia, but is it worth it? It used to be that solid brass and copper were the standard. Now plastics have taken over. In many products plastic is better but lets not go overboard. There must be a way to punish companies that produce inferior products. You will say that the "Market" does that but crap keeps being produced. Wake up folks, you get what you pay for....if you are lucky today.

55 -60 PSI... why an expansion tank??
no PRV or check valve at water meter so the expanding hot water will just expand out to the street.

theres a check at the meter. thanks packy.



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OK cheap valve or did I did I miss a diagnostic?

I think the only possible cause I am uncertain about is a temperature event.

I figure if it was temperature that caused the drip, the thing would SPILL water all over (like cups, gallons etc).... I don't think an eye dropper or two of water is going to relieve the tank of excess temperature. Or would it?


The heater does seems to overshoot the thermostats "estimated" temp. settings though. I know some of that is normal but to what extent I am unsure. If you get water temperature at times approaching 140 at the taps, how hot is the hottest portion of the tank (50 gallon)? Maybe because of short cycles while checking all this I am experiencing some sort of "stacking" effect or something.



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the hottest portion of the tank would be mo more than 5 - 10 deg hotter that the water at the faucet.