Hot water heater question

[loudshirt]

Last night when i got home from work I closed my garage door. Well acctually I pressed the button it went down hit the snow and opened up again. I assume a pipe froze when it comes into the house. I put a space heater in the closet with the hot water tank and now i have running water. When the water started to run the pressure relief valve on my hot water heater opened. I let it drain for a while (20-30 min) mainly because i did not know what was draining. I googled some information and went back out and shut it. There was no resistance when i shut the valve. I went back out checked it and it opens and closes with little force. My question is did it open because of the frozen pipes? Should I get it replaced? Just a couple of questions from the mechanically declined.


Thanks

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Last night when i got home from work I closed my garage door. Well acctually I pressed the button it went down hit the snow and opened up again. I assume a pipe froze when it comes into the house. I put a space heater in the closet with the hot water tank and now i have running water. When the water started to run the pressure relief valve on my hot water heater opened. I let it drain for a while (20-30 min) mainly because i did not know what was draining. I googled some information and went back out and shut it. There was no resistance when i shut the valve. I went back out checked it and it opens and closes with little force. My question is did it open because of the frozen pipes? Should I get it replaced? Just a couple of questions from the mechanically declined.


Thanks

Easy to replace. Cheap insurance.

 

[twoguns?]

Easy to replace. Cheap insurance.

+1 , make sure something/where else isnt leaking....

 

[mbalexander]

The temperature/pressure relief valve (T&P) is "factory set" to trip at 210 deg &/or 180psi. IIRC. I'm not sure why the cold weather would cause it to pop off, unless it was somehow "tricking" the thermostat, causing the gas valve to stay open or the thermostat to keep the electric elements on. Depending on whether you have a gas or electric water heater. I'd probably just replace it.

Marshall Alexander
Alexander Plumbing & Electric, Inc.

 

[dennishoddy]

Good advise above ^^^^^

Now I'm gonna go George Carlin on ya.

"It ain't a hot water heater. Its a cold water heater."

Never mind me, carry on.

 

[ahamay6]

Plus. When one of those pops off they rarely seal back very well. Little bits of crud and an old dried out gasket or o-ring and they seem to drip leak forever.

 

[JacobDaddy]

If it starts to leak, just put a plug in it. It won't leak anymore.

On a completely unrelated note, have you seen the Mythbusters episode where they overheat the water heaters? Man those things can fly like rockets!

 

[Sanford]

I googled some information and went back out and shut it. There was no resistance when i shut the valve. I went back out checked it and it opens and closes with little force.

If it's not leaking when shut you may have no problem at all. It's entirely possible that the force of the freezing ice in the lines created enough pressure to open it as opposed to bursting a pipe, which is a good thing.

 

[ByrdC130]

Good advise above ^^^^^

Now I'm gonna go George Carlin on ya.

"It ain't a hot water heater. Its a cold water heater."

Never mind me, carry on.

Kersnicker

 

[twoguns?]

Good advise above ^^^^^

Now I'm gonna go George Carlin on ya.

"It ain't a hot water heater. Its a cold water heater."

Never mind me, carry on.

HA! axturally its a hot water ...storage tank.... HA!