MY T&P VALVE IS LEAKING WHAT SHOULD I DO?

As most of you that read my blogs on a regular basis know, I spend part of each day reading, learning and contributing to a large group of my favorite discussion groups and forums on DIY issues. Each time I run across a thread about T&P or TPR valves (temperature and pressure relief valves) I wonder why we don’t read about exploding houses on a daily basis. Yesterday I participated in a thread where the writer wrote that he had replaced his TPR valve because it was leaking and much to his surprise the new one leaked too! He felt he couldn’t have a problem with his hot water heater because it was only 10 years old and was producing great hot water, even too hot water at times. So should he replace the TPR valve again? Well there were differing opinions. Some thought he should install an overflow pressure tank, others thought that indeed he must have gotten a bad TPR valve or when he “tested” it to see if the new one worked he might have corrupted it with dregs from the HWH. But one on the ball contributor hit the nail right on the head, in my humble opinion, and said the hot water heater was going critical (over heating) and was either in need of repair or replacement and I whole heartedly agree. The telling point was the “too hot water”. The TPR valve is there for the expressed purpose of keeping the HWH from exploding when it overheats. Watch this video to see what happens when the TPR valve fails, or as when some less than bright folks just don’t install one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGWmONHipVo
The same homeowner then writes a thread about how far from the floor should the overflow pipe from the HWH be. HWH’s don’t have overflow pipes. The pipe that comes from the heater is just a conduit to pipe the hot scalding water that erupts when the TPR valve blows. The idea that a hot water heater simply over flows when it gets too hot is just not true. As to how far from the floor the pipe should stop? Various codes state anywhere from 3” to 3’ and some even require that they be piped out of the house so that damage to the floor and surrounding areas can be avoided and so that the water cannot possibly cause scalding of any person that may come in contact with it. I have agreed with the later idea to minimize damage but this requires some vigilance on the homeowners part so that he will know when the TPR blows.
The bottom line? Let the TPR do its job and if yours is “leaking” get a professional to check your hot water heater for problems before things get dangerous.