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 a heating boiler cad cell relay switchTemperature & Pressure Relief Valve FAQs
Q&A on TPR Valves or T&P Valves boilers, calorifiers, geysers, water heaters

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about pressure or pressure & temperature safety relief valves: inspection, diagnosis, installation requirements, relief valve testing, and relief valve repair procedures.

Questions and answers about pressure/relief or temperature/pressure relief valves: TP Valve Installation, Defects, & TPR Valve Inspection.

This article series explains how to install, inspect, troubleshoot, repair pressure / temperature relief valves or straight pressure relief valves used on heating boilers, steam boilers, water heaters, and even on water pressure tanks. This article explains what TP or pressure relief safety valves are, why they are needed, how they work, and what goes wrong.

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Temperature & Pressure Relief Valve Inspection, Defects, Testing, Repair Q&A

Relief valve missing extensionThese questions and answers about safety valves or TPRs or pressure or temperature relief valves were posted originally at RELIEF VALVES - TP VALVES - home - be sure to review that material.

Question: does the relief valve discharge tube have to be of copper? Is PVC ok?

Thanks for the information. Is there any requirement that the fitting and pipe extension is required to be made from copper? I came across a boiler where the fitting off the T&P and the extension to the floor is made of PVC. - Kevin 7/26/2011

Reply:

Kevin the relief valve would itself tap into a metal fitting on the boiler or on older installations on metal heating piping. But the discharge tube on many new installations is plastic; it's a pipe that rarely sees service and whose job is to divert hot water to the floor rather than onto a bystander. In that application most code officials accept PVC.

Question water is shooting out of a valve at our well head.

Water is shooting out a valve on the well head in the front yard. What might be the problem - Sue 8/21/11

Reply:

Sue: regarding "Water is shooting out a valve on the well head in the front yard. What might be the problem"

Hard to guess intelligently with no information, but certainly yours is a well piping and pump question not a heating system pressure relief valve question (the article above on this page).

You may have a well piping leak - most likely, or on occasion a well casing leak combined with an artesian well. Take a look RELIEF VALVE, WATER TANK and also

at WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS and call your plumber.

Question: Pressure keeps going up in my hot water boiler - how do I diagnose this?

Hot water furnace. My gauge goes up to 32 pounds then trips. Shut of furnace and still happens. My hot water tank is heated by furnace. I shut off valves on lines going to my hot water tank and problem stops. Should I suspect internal leak in hot water heating core allowing internal pressure in tank to leak back to furnace causing pressure to rise. - Will 8/22/11

Reply:

Will,

If your heating boiler pressure is going up to 32 psi, a pressure higher than normal boilers heated to 180 or even 200 °F, and high enough to open the pressure/temperature relief valve, then I suspect:

- a tankless coil leak that is sending house water pressure into the boiler

or

- a malfunctioning automatic water feeder/pressure reducer valve feeding too-high starting pressure into the boiler

You can diagnose these easily enough.

Turn off the water supply into the tankless coil or water heater.

When the boiler is COLD, and assuming you've got a typical one-family home that is one or at most two stories, drain off boiler water to drop the starting pressure - cold - at the boiler down to 12 psi.

With the hot water system still turned off and the boiler left OFF you should not see any pressure increase inside the boiler. If you do, either we've missed something, or you've got a bad water feeder valve.

Then with the boiler turned on, the boiler should heat up to a temperature at or below 200 °F and pressure in the boiler should stay below 30 psi, probably around 20 psi.

Then with the hot water system turned on and the boiler COLD AND OFF (just for simplicity of diagnosis) and a starting boiler pressure of 12 psi, if you see the boiler pressure increase, you've confirmed a hot water system leak into the boiler interior.

Question: water heater pressure goes up too high and the TP valve opens

I have a water heating system with radiators and no tank. My pressure goes to over 40 psi and the safety valve opens. I touched the pipe going to the expansion tank and it's cold so it looks like no water goes in there when it should.

If I shut off the water supply line and drain some water the pressure reduces, however after draining it seems as the amount of water is not enough to go all the way up to the 2nd floor radiator.

I checked it by opening the bleed valve and nothing comes out since there is not enough water to fill it all the way up

. It heats great when the supply line is open but the pressure goes way over normal. Based on the scenario below I am suspecting a bad feeder/pressure reducer valve. Do you think this might be causing the problem. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. - May0 12/4/11

Update:

I ran a test for the feeder/pressure reducer valve and it's fine. It shuts off the water exactly at 12 psi. Once the systems turns on and starts heating the water, the pressure keeps rising way over 30 psi.

I watched it and it went over 40 psi when the water temperature was 150 F. I really don't know what might be causing it. I looked at the boiler unit and I can't see any signs of leaks. Shouldn't the expansion tank take care of this?

Thinking logically the water should escape there and therefore reduce the pressure in the system. I don't think any water goes in that tank.

I shut off the valve on the pipe going to the expansion tank. I drained it - there was hardly any water in there. I opened the valve and I was touching the pipe to see if it will get hot once the water goes in there. All this was done while the pressure was over 40 psi. The pipe didn't get hot making me think no water went in there.

After that I opened the drain valve on the tank and the water started coming out reducing the pressure immediately. What could be causing the pressure to rise so high? Is the expansion tank's job to at least partially help regulate the pressure in the system? Thanks for your advise.

Reply:

Mayo, the diagnostic procedure you need is at RELIEF VALVE LEAKS.

Also take a look at WATER PRESSURE TOO HIGH: DANGERS for some examples of causes of abnormal water pressure.

Question: the pressure valve leaks when my boiler runs for a long time

I have a 20 year old SlantFin cast iron oil boiler. I have had 3 different technicians clean and set it up and I still have the same problem.

The pressure valve leaks pressure/water when the boiler runs for a long time.

When just using hot water or if only one zone calls for heat, it is fine. However, if multiple zones call for heat such as first thing in the morning when the programmable thermostats turn up, the pressure rises to about 30 PSI after about 10-15 minutes which is enough to make the valve open and trickle water. The colder it is in the house the bigger the puddle.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. - Tom Dionne 3/28/12

Reply:

Dionne, check the temperature on your boiler when the TP valve is leaking - if it is too high that could be the problem - fixed by adjusting or repairing the aquastat control. The diagnostic procedure you need is

at RELIEF VALVE LEAKS.

Also see WATER PRESSURE TOO HIGH: DANGERS for other causes and effects of of abnormal water pressure.

Question: loud whooshing noise after we take a shower

After showers we hear a loud "ccssshhh" noise which sounds like it may be from the hot water tank. What could this be. It happens a couple of times after shower - Julia 8/21/12

Reply:

Julia, have someone standing at the water heater and other water handling equipment in the building so that first we know where the noise is coming from. That's the first step in diagnosing this problem. Otherwise an answer here would be just too-wild speculation.

Question: I keep having to change my pressure relief valve due to leakage

I regularly have to have my pressure relief valve changed after a year or so because it starts to leak. My oil company says that happens with anti-freeze. Is there a special one to use with anti-freeze? FYI: I am on city water but do not have a pressure relief valve. - Mike 10/22/12

Reply:

Balderdash. Either you're getting a series of defective TP valves installed (unlikely) or there is a cause of abnormal temperature or pressure at your heating boiler that needs to be properly diagnosed and fixed. The diagnostic procedure you need is at RELIEF VALVE LEAKS.

Question: my heating boiler shuts off at a temperature below the setting

My boiler is set at 190 degrees, but always shuts off at 170. Any ideas? - Mark 10/26/12

Reply:

Mark, your aquastat may be improperly installed (lacks temperature sensing grease or has bad contact between the aquastat temperature sensor and the sensor well sides in the boiler) or the device may be defective, or your temperature gauge may be off.

See AQUASTAT CONTROLS for details.

Question: what kind of pressure relief valve do I need on my water heater?

hi i have water heater 40000 btu natural gas what kind of pressure relief valve i need ? thank you - Paul 12/11/12

Reply:

Paul, the installation instructions for your water heater will tell you exactly what temperature/pressure valve is required for your unit. The specifications will include:

  1. The BTU or heat release rate required - it will be a number typically above the BTUh input rate for your heater (that's probably your 40,000 BTUs, so the BTU rating of the TP valve will be above that number
  2. The temperature operating range required - it will be a number in °F above the normal upper or hottest temperature that your water heater operates at - for example it might be set at 200F - certainly below boiling temperature.
  3. The thread tapping size or diameter for the fitting into which the TP valve mounts - on residential equipment that's usually 3/4" though we see 1/2" IPT on some older units

Watch out: installing a TP valve that does not meet the water heater's specifications is dangerous and risks an explosion

Question: shouldn't I follow the manufacturer's instructions and test my boiler's TP valve every year?

I like this set of sensible and logical inspection steps. However, the Watts 374A 30PSI pressure relief valve clearly states on its paper owners/users tag atop the metal specifications tag that the homeowner should activate it yearly to ensure proper function.

I'd rather do what you are suggesting because it avoids the possibility of trapping any boiler water sediment/foreign material in the valve and preventing it from seating fully. But, wouldn't further 'flushing' of valve with more water usually rectify this? Like with Schrader valve with air in inner tube of bicycle tire or for auto tubeless tire valves? - Christopher 1/9/2013

Reply: better to ask your HVAC service tech to test the TP valve

Thanks for the good question Christopher.

Normally we always want to follow the product manufacturer's directions - they have a great interest in safe proper use of their equipment. And I agree that sometimes you can stop a leaky TP valve by repeated flushing of the valve to get debris off the valve seat. But I also have opened a TP valve to flush it and had the valve spit out part of the valve seat washer - leaving me with gushing hot boiler water at scalding temperatures.

The advice to "test" the TP valve by opening its test lever once a year is "safe" advice for the manufacturer to give. But it's not so safe for the homeowner because in my OPINION:

Therefore a safer suggestion for all homeowners is to ask their heating service tech to check the TP valve at the time of annual service. The service tech has a replacement TP valve right with him or her, in the service truck, and s/he knows how to replace the valve it if keeps on leaking.

Question - Comment: relief valve drain froze leading to an explosion at the heating boiler

One danger (I may have missed) happened to me. The T & P valve had a slow leak which drained outside building.

At a persistent 4 degrees above 0 F, the water drip outside eventually froze and sealed the drain pipe at the exit point.

Once sealed the pressure built until the T & P valve exploded and the final six week repair cost came in at just over $36,000.

T & P valves are a real hazard to home owners! - B.T. 1/27/2013

Reply:

Excellent point; We've talked about the issues of draining to a remote or unobserved location, but not about the freeze risk. Thank goodness no one was killed.

Actually you are describing a triple fault that led to an explosion:

  1. The TP valve was leaking - we don't know yet if the problem is the valve (replace it) or some other operating problem with the boiler (find and fix that cause)
  2. The TP valve discharge was piped to a location where no one noticed the leak, so the root cause was not repaired
  3. The water leaking through the TP valve discharge tube was at a low-enough temperature and slow-enough rate that when exposed to freezing conditions the TP valve discharge line froze, completely blocking the valve, preventing it from reducing boiler temperature or pressure

Had your boiler had a different weakest-link than the TP valve itself, the whole boiler could have exploded, causing still more damage and risking injury or even death to building occupants.

For example, had your device been draining a water heater the unit would become a rocket, shooting up through the building - details are

at BLEVE EXPLOSIONS.

Question: The boiler does not have a pressure relief valve

(Jan 24, 2014) Rene said:

First of all this site is amazing. The writing, pictures, and diagrams are everything I have tried to find online. My question is about an old hydrotherm gas boiler for a hydronic hot water system.

The boiler does not have a pressure relief valve and I could not a pressure overflow tank in the attic.

It is a 700sq ft. unit in a 4 unit house and the psi goes up to 50psi when the thermostat is raised above 80 degrees. I am obviously worried about this high psi. I have been lowering the temperature and releasing water to bring the psi down.

My questions are:

1. Can a pressure release valve be installed, if so where would it be installed?

2. A year ago one of the radiators busted and was replaced with a baseboard heater and that only heats up when the temperature is set high. One plumber said I should swap it out and that could fix the high psi issue, is there any truth to that statement? Does baseboard heat require more psi to heat up?

Reply:

Rene,

Watch out: It would be unusual (and unsafe) for a heating boiler to have no means of safety release of excess pressure. If there is no attic overflow or expansion tank (or if not attic, in some other upper building location) and no temperature/pressure relief valve connected directly to the boiler, typically there would have been a red B&G or equivalent pressure relief valve installed on piping near the boiler.

See BLEVE EXPLOSIONS

Take a look at the pair of photos 9th down from the page top photo - where text below the pair of photos showing a red pressure relief valve reads

"This type of relief valve responds only to water pressure and may be located at some distance from the heating boiler itself."

You may find an equivalent installed on your system. That approach was common on older systems and was permitted then, though it offers less safety protection than a modern TP valve connected right on the boiler.

You can ask your plumber or heating tech to install a TP valve directly on the boiler only if the boiler includes an available tapping that would fit the valve, at a suitable location such that the valve's sensor is immersed in boiler water, and where the tapping is big enough (typically 3/4" dia NPT) to accept the device.

Send along some photos of your system and I may be able to comment further, but basically this is a safety topic to discuss with your heating service tech and the service manager.

No one in their right mind would leave a heating boiler with no pressure relief protection - the risk is a BLEVE explosion.

Regarding cold baseboard, perhaps the system is partly air-bound and could be corrected by strategic installation of air bleeder valves at the two ends of the baseboard run or at another suitable location.

(Jan 27, 2014) renetruj said:

Thank you DanJoeFriedman. How would I send you photos so you can see if I have a tapping to place a TP valve on this old hydrotherm boiler? Do you know of any sites that have a full listing of hydrotherm models, my boiler's plates and information are all missing or eroded?

Reply:

Renetruj

Use the CONTACT us link found at the top or bottom of any InspectApedia page.

About model identification, without the unit data tags you may be able to speak directly with Hydrotherm to ask for help - I would not want to guess based on just a box photo - since some boiler models may look alike externally.

Question: the pressure relief pipe is dripping constantly

(July 21, 2014) Ian said:

I have a two year old closed vented system. The meters show just over 1 bar pressure which I top up every 6 months. I have noticed the pressure relief pipe is dripping constantly, but can find nothing to indicate why this would be happening. It is a very slow but constant leak, but the positioning of it is causing some brickwork to become slowly saturated and damp smell inside the house.

Reply:

Ian we discuss this problem in FAQs and article above on this topic - look for

- a bad pressure reducer valve or water feed valve

- a tankless coil leaking into the heating system boiler

- a defective relief valve

-abnormal operating temperatures

Watch out this is an unsafe condition. The cause of the dripping TP valve needs to be found and fixed and the valve should probably be replaced too.

On 2017-12-19 18:17:30.936185 by (mod) -

Yes Soko, EVERY pressurised vessel must have a relief valve. That's true for hot water, steam, even cold water (well tanks).

On 2017-12-19 15:51:53.983491 by Soko

Is a pressure relieve valve required for hot water boiler since it has a water header tank and produces hot water rather than steam

On 2016-07-06 22:11:27.668491 by (mod) -

Terry: I think we are missing something from your question. Pressure relief valves are explained in the article above; they are installed on pressurized tanks, not "shopping centers" -the latter being, in my eye, a collection of retail stores, not tanks of liquid.

On 2016-07-06 17:49:03.100923 by terry burns

why are pressure relief valves used on shopping centers

On 2015-11-30 06:14:40.513646 by (mod) -

Locate the TPR where the heater installation guide says to puf it.

Look for water hammer or actual high pressure or temperature.

On 2015-11-28 22:29:09.704854 by drip drip

have a tankless gas water heater put a pressure/temp relief valve on 4" down from the unit using a tee fitting and it drips so i replaced it with a new one (valve) and it is doing it again. is it too close to the outlet? water temp 125-145 degrees water pressure 35-40 psi
Nivekracing@att.net

On 2015-10-15 18:18:07.439017 by Jerry

Should the valve be verticle

On 2015-10-05 13:46:44.948911 by (mod) -

Clayton At the ARTICLE INDEX at the end of this article see RELIEF VALVE LEAKS for advice on diagnosing and repairing the relief valve blow off you cite.

On 2015-09-28 14:07:17.196955 by Clayton

Relief valve blows off on my Peerless boiler Model M I 09.Exp. tank and relief valve are new. Boiler pressure is 25 to 30 lbs.

On 2015-03-27 19:54:54.842230 by Will

Yes i just spoke with them and they are going to change it. Dan it was a battle, i was trying to resolve this cause i really did not think the chamber was cracked, but hey, things happen and when it's in areas that the human eye can not see, thats when the surprise occurs. I thank you so much for trying to guide me here.

On 2015-03-27 14:58:50.101290 by (mod) -

Call your heating company for more prompt service.

On 2015-03-27 10:35:52.678500 by Will

Good morning everyone, Dan its confirmed, actually i saw it dripping from the bottom. Had to drain it, mop the freaking floor and shut all valves.

On 2015-03-27 01:04:38.117820 by Will

Ok DanJoeFriedman, will do what your recommending. I think a guy is coming this week. I will keep you posted. Thank you!!!!

On 2015-03-26 21:29:57.392920 by (mod) -

Will

You're discussing a steam boiler. You have described an unsafe condition. You need to call a steam heat service technician.

There is no reason to start assuming that you need a new boiler, and no reason to use that worry to hesitate to call for proper repair. Your delay risks costly boiler damage or even an explosion.

DO NOT leave a TPR valve propped open - doing so is unsafe. The continued venting risks clogging the valve with mineral deposits leading it to fail to open properly when it should - again risking a BLEVE explosion.

On 2015-03-26 19:47:31.980530 by Will

I will i promise, its just that i have a gut feeling they are lieing just to make money. I do have experience in working with temperature chambers on pressure transducers for military etc.... and in my opinion if you have a completely sealed chamber and pressure builds beyond what it's design for, of course that baby will blow, but if the chamber was cracked my floor would be filled with water or even when the pressure of the chamber is at 10psi. It just does not make sense to me. At 15psi is when it pops or begins to leak steam, "NOT WATER" but steam, its like something is stuck. I will keep you updated. Thats why i slightly very slightly left the pressure valve opened just a bit to test out the duration of the chamber leaking or steam escaping and it did take longer. I will keep you posted. Thanks again!

On 2015-03-26 13:35:34.858300 by (mod) -

Good going, keep me posted.

As I said, if you are told you need a new boiler, ask for details and ask us for comment.

On 2015-03-26 06:41:13.431740 by Will

Ok will do DanJoeFriedman, thank you for all of the advise, just one last question, from what i described does it sound like the chamber cracked? To me something is clogged. i will have an expert look into this, i just don't and really can't afford a whole new boiler whether it's new or refurbished.

On 2015-03-26 04:02:23.944230 by (mod) -

No it does not make sense to me. Installing a lower pressure release point valve will hardly fix the cause of boiler overpressure.

I repeat that what you describe is unsafe and needs an onsite professional.

On 2015-03-26 00:12:53.324320 by Will

I tested it out earlier and at 15 psi is when the steam/vapor comes shooting out from the bottom. It does not look like the pressure release valve is working. I was told to change it and put a lower psi release valve. I am hope that would would help. As of right now i turn it on and shut it off at 10psi before it hits 15psi, cause thats when it leaks, does this make more sense?

On 2015-03-25 21:12:01.552780 by (mod) -

I'm not sure I understand "not be a problem" - abnormal heating system pressures are a problem and are unsafe. And there is a further risk that ultimately mineral debris and crud from the spilling relief valve cause that valve to stick shut and stop providing pressure relief - risking a boiler explosion.

It's a big and probably unnecessary leap to go from needing to find and fix the cause of a flooding steam boiler to the claim that the boiler needs to be replaced. If your on-site heating service tech says you need a new boiler ask him or her to explain why - there should be good reason such as actual boiler damage that is too costly for economical repair.

On 2015-03-25 07:19:38.765300 by Will

Thank you DanJoeFriedman. So then, the chamber should not be a problem due to that the popping occurs when it reaches 10psi or a bit more. I have tried to view the pressure relieve valve to see if it opens but in my case it does not. I am not going to quote you on the broken chamber. Its that i am just trying to find out what is the most common issue regarding my issue. Changing the boiler i am sure you know, it costs and arm and a leg.

On 2015-03-24 23:43:53.859450 by (mod) -

Will

Residential steam boilers usually operate at below 1 PSI. If the TPR valve is opening and the pressure is up in the 10 psi range the TPR is working as it should and your service tech needs to find out why the boiler pressure is excessive.

On 2015-03-24 21:16:42.398940 by Will

I have an OSB-4 steam boiler. Once it starts, the pressure gauge rises to 10 or more then i am assuming that it's too much pressure the boiler makes a popping noise and steam escapes through the bottom of boiler. I don't think the pressure relief vale was ever changed in close to 6 or 7 yrs and the pressure gauge in from of boiler as well. I was told that the chamber is cracked, but if it was cracked my guess is that it would start leaking once its passed 5psi. I think they just want to change the boiler and make money. The boiler is 8yrs old. Anyone please advise?

On 2014-12-21 17:56:09.036710 by (mod) -

Chris, there may be more than one valve at an older style expansion tank - one to isolate it from the boiler (normally open during heating) and another to drain the tank. If the tank is isolated from the boiler it's like having no expansion tank and the TP valve would likely dump at every heating cycle.

On 2014-12-21 15:14:34.864330 by Chris

Hi, I recently had my heat repair guys at our house to fix a radiator valve leak and just the other day I noticed that our relief valve is draining water (about a gallon or more a day) while the boiler is running. I also noticed that it appears the valve to the expansion tank is closed--could this be the reason that the relief valve is opening?

On 2014-11-04 22:13:18.478150 by (mod) -

Easy RV

IN THE More Reading inks just above please see the article titled RELIEF VALVE LEAKS.

Typically we replace the valve and also diagnose and fix the cause if the problem is not the valve itself. Causes of to valve leaks are in the cited article.

On 2014-11-02 23:52:45.025930 by Relief valve...

Great site....
I have a hot water boiler (Lennox conservator) and just recently the relief value started releving (dripping) at about 175C temperature about 27 psi.
The valve states 30 psi and 535,000 btu hr

The furnace states input 105000 btu hr
Min relief valve cap 85 lbs/hr
The thermostate on the furnace is set at 150

How do I make it stop?

Thanks!!!


...

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