AboutDana Bostick Expertise Pretty much any residential plumbing questions. Note: I live and work in Southern California. We do not as a rule use boilers, hot water or steam heating systems or wells so my knowledge in those areas is limited. There are others here that can probably answer those questions better.
"We all is city folk" out here! What is a "well" LOL
Experience Licensed General Contractor with Plumbing, HVAC and Electrical sub-licenses
Question Hello,
I turned the temperature on my water heater up past the mid-
point about 3/4 of the way to "hot." About an hour or so
later I noticed water coming out of the relief drain pipe
that runs to the outside of the house. I turned the
temperature back down to the midpoint and the water slowed
then stopped. Did I just cause too high temperatures within
the water heater or have I done something that may require
replacement?
Answer Hi Rachel,
The slight leakage is the valve doing what it is supposed to do, relieve excess pressure. The water heater is a "closed" system which means it has no where to vent pressure other than opening a valve or through the TPRV. When you heat water in a closed system, the water expands and increases the pressure in the system until a faucet is opened or the TPRV pops open a bit. The way to correct this is to have an expansion tank installed on the piping of the water heater to absorb the excess pressure.
I would caution you against raising the temperature too high. It only takes a few seconds for someone to get scalded at 140 degrees. Children and the elderly are most susceptible to this.
Good Luck,
Dana
