Why Is A Water Heater Pressure Relief Valve Important?

What’s a Water Heater Pressure Relief Valve?

Safety Function of a Water Heater PRV and Why You Should Care

Safety should always be important when using a water heater at your home. Ensure the water heater can relieve the water temperature and pressure at a given point to avoid damage and possible injury.

In this article, we will focus on the purpose and importance of the pressure relief valve.

Pressure Relief Valve

The pressure relief valve is similar to an emergency stop valve. It is designed to offer an escape route for water from the heater if the temperatures rise beyond a set point, allowing an unsafe temperature or increased pressure. The increased water pressure opens the pressure relief valve, and water can escape to the exterior. This action immediately lowers the pressure inside the water heater tank.

Although this shouldn’t happen, it can. If there is a problem with the heater, this is its safety valve to protect the home and the homeowner. The heater should auto-adjust itself back to normal after the extra pressure (and water) escapes.

Preventing Disaster Before It Happens

A licensed plumber should also check and replace an ordinary gate valve on the water supply pipe with a lever-handle ball valve. The quarter-turn ball valves are more durable and much faster to turn the water off completely.

If this is a new water heater, the plumber should also review how the appliance works and provide the homeowner with the water heater brochure, information, and warranty cards. This will help ensure that the homeowner has a basic understanding of how to quickly turn the water heater on and off without a plumber needing to come out for minor problems.

Back to Safety Issues

As you can tell now, the pressure relief valve is crucial to protecting homeowners.

Most water heater manufacturers often recommend that you hire a licensed plumber to check it at least once per year and replace it if it is faulty.

Make Leak Geeks Plumbing Your Plumber

Call Leak Geeks Plumbing professionals if you need help with any plumbing issues. You can always be assured that only a licensed plumber will be there for any work done in your home.

We work diligently to ensure you are treated with respect and have all your questions answered before we go to work in your home.

Leak Geeks Plumbing provides professional-grade water heaters and tankless water heaters in the southwestern part of DFW Metroplex and surrounding areas. For more information about your water heater and other plumbing services offered by Leak Geeks Plumbing, you can check us out and connect with us on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, our channel on YouTube, or Linked In.

Call us today at 817-431-8929 for all your plumbing needs!