Expert: Jason VanDusen - 7/4/2007

Question
3 days ago I noticed that there was a part of my driveway that has not been dry for a long time.  Turns out that the PVC overflow pipe coming out of the side of my house is streaming a thin stream of very hot water.  The entire side of my house near that area was completely soaked where your foot would literally sink in 4 inches into the soil.  I'm very concerned about my foundation being affected this close to the house.  My wife cut the water to the hot water heater and the outside stream stopped.  After some research I found that I should be releasing pressure annually from the hot water heater, but after 2 hours of messing with this, I give up.

First off, this is a Whirlpool gas water heater, model FG1F4034T3NOV.  I have pictures of this thing with text at www.hortonwebdesign.com/heater.htm. The pressure valve is on the side of the unit, but the line from it does not go straight down towards a drain in the floor though like I've seen in a lot of examples of how it "should be".  It goes down about 4 inches, does a U-turn back up, then 90 degrees across the top of the heater and then T's up into the ceiling and down to a spicket. Again, I took a picture and posted it here at www.hortonwebdesign.com/heater.htm.

when I lift the pressure lever valve, water leaks out from the lever, so i put a bucket underneath it.  I left it like that for a minute or so, but it only would release a steady dripping.  When it finally stopped, I would go outside and the outside was a steady stream again.  And when that stopped, the pressure valve would start dripping again. Back and forth. If one stopped, the other started. The only way it stops is if I cut off the water to it and for obvious reasons, that works, but that also means no hot water.

Not being a pro, common sense says that this water heater is filling up too high and is overfilling which is causing this overflow.  Another thing I tried was to turn off the water, use the pressure valve and let it drain out until it stops dripping and the outside stops also.  But as soon as I turn the water back on, I can hear that pipe filling up again and here comes the dripping all over either outside or at the valve.  

There must be a step by step process to this.  Should I completely drain the water heater and then turn everything back on? That was another option, but a painstaking one. But this drainage is driving me crazy and I'm thinking that if I make it start with an empty tank, maybe it will just cut off when it knows how much water was added.  Or is it like a toilet bowl tank that stops when it reaches a specific point. If it is, It's not stopping!

There is just WAY too much drainage outside to be normal and it's been going on a very long time and releasing the pressure stops it outside, but causes it to drip inside from around the switch.  So currently, I turned off the water completely, switched the gas knob to off and awaiting some divine intervention. Someone help please!

Answer
Hi Chris, you have two problems with the heater, first, the relief valve will relieve itself if the pressure is above 150 psi or the temperature is more than 210 degrees, you need to check your water pressure in the house with a water guage.  also the relief valve needs to be replaced after checking the pressure,  second, the drain from the valve should never go back up and over the water heater, it must go down somehow, it needs to be able to drain proberly.  the relief valve should never relieve itself unless there is one of the problems I listed.  Get yourself a guage at the store and check that pressure first.   jason