leaking pressure relief valve?

[bishop793]

Hi. I returned from a weeks vacation and found that the basement floor was wet near the water tank and the connecting pants were sweating. i got out the dehumidifier and that took care of the sweating pipe. however i have a steady drip coming from what out of i believe is the pressure releif valve. I have attach pictures.. i have to run the wetvac continuously because within an hour the aluminum i placed under it will overflow. What could be causing this leak and is this a diy fix or do i need to call plumber? Thanks in advance.

 

[phishfood]

That is a thermal expansion valve. They are normally set to open up and relieve the pressure when it reaches 100 PSI. If your gauge is correct, the pressure is 80 PSI. While that is on the high side, the thermal expansion shouldn't be opening yet.

I have never understood the need for these when you have a bladder tank for the well. The thermal expansion should be absorbed by the bladder tank.

These valves should be available at any big box store. The valve, a couple of appropriate wrenches, and some thread sealant (pipe dope) should be all that is needed to replace it.

 

[stevemachine]

And while your at it replace the drain valve. Some pretty bad corrosion from what I can see. Plus usually after time they seize up. Should just be a 3/4 threaded drain valve. Also I'm not sure if the relief valves come with different ratings for pressure or not but be sure to match them up if there is different ratings (it would be in psi the rating)

 

[Valveman]

First make sure that pressure relief valve is not working for a reason. Most well pumps have a 40/60 pressure switch, and the pressure relief valve is set at 75 PSI. So if the pressure switch is not shutting the pump off at 60 as it should, then the pressure relief valve is doing what it is suppose to do, and has saved your pump from melting down.

If in fact you have a 60/80 pressure switch, you may just need to turn the pressure up on the PRV. You can usually take the cap off the top and tighten the adjustment screw until it is set at a higher pressure and stops leaking.

 

[bishop793]

thanks to all for your suggestions. the mrs has called a plumber (she trusts me with the computer, but not the pipes!). i will keep you posted

 

[bishop793]

also, i notice that the tank sounds hollow at the top and the bottom. Should that be a concern? Thanks.

 

[Ripley502]

Newb here, hope someone can help me with a leaky pressure valve. Have exactly the same issue as per this post. Replaced the pressure valve and still leaking. Water pressure is about 30psi, valve set to 75psi. I use a external pressure gauge to measure as I did notice that the pressure gauge attached on the pipe is pretty old and rusty, can this be a problem with my leakage? Do the pressure gauge have direct control over the relief valve? If the gauge is not working properly, then the valve will be getting inaccurate readings and will need to be replaced. All suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks!