How To Deal With Pressure Relief Ball Check Valve Leaks
A pressure relief ball check valve is a safety device used in several different applications. This article will focus on its use in a hot water heater and the problems that occur when this type of unit starts to leak. It works by releasing water when the temperature within the tank gets to be too high. Due to the danger of having an overheating tank, a high pressure ball valve is necessary for the safety of you and your home. This is one reason why maintaining your water heater is important, but unfortunately this is something that is too often overlooked by homeowners.
The two primary reasons why your pressure relief ball check valve may be leaking include:
• A defective valve
• The tank’s pressure is exceeding the relief point
While it is not always possible to determine why your stainless ball valve is leaking, if it started all of a sudden then it is usually safe to assume that it has simply become defective. This is especially true if you haven’t had any major plumbing renovation work done in the last few days. Although it is difficult to determine why, these valves simply begin to leak once they start to get older. One reason why this may happen however is that it will become stuck in the open position. Even though it is recommended that you check your valves by opening and closing them periodically, this may actually increase the chance of a leak.
The good news however is that a pressure relief ball check valve is relatively inexpensive, so when problems like this occur it is not too costly to have them replaced. However, because they are often difficult to unscrew, it can be bothersome. Use a long handled wrench and they should come off nice and easy. Make sure that the gas/water supply to the tank is turned off before you begin working. It is also necessary to drain the tank some, but only enough so that the water level is beneath the high pressure ball valve. When you replace it, be sure to wrap some Teflon tape on your new valve’s thread.
Of course there is also the chance that your problems are due to too much pressure in your tank, and this may be causing your stainless ball valve to leak. If this is the case it is probably being caused by either a) a high main water pressure, or b) backflow prevention. If the pressure is too high, you may need to purchase a regulator. These can reduce the amount of pressure in your system by 50 to 70 psi. These can cost as low as $9, so they are not too costly of an investment. If you have a backflow valve, this can often be fixed by installing an expansion tank.
