Testing Your Water Heater Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve.Are you aware your water heater will work a lot better and be safer if it is maintained routinely. A lot of water heater boffins actually say that it should have a 6 monthly test. The (TPR valve) controls the temperature and pressure in the heater and will open to relieve an over heat or pressure situation to stop a possible explosion. This valve can succumb to ingress of verdigris and can fail. To test the valve to ensure that its working properly, operate the test lever up and down. Hot water should flow from the end of the drainpipe. The valve should be changed if there is no water flow or just a small trickle. Should a leak occur after this test has been performed, it could be a sticky test lever, so move it up and down again to loosen and free any debris that may be preventing the valve from seating correctly. Dalston Plumbers carry out this test. If the valve works, and hot water is spewing out of the drain (TPR) valve, decrease the temperature on the heater controller and or turn down the pressure.Some points:The pipework should be made of something like copper to cope with any heat. If it cant resist heat or it is not big enough, replace it with copper pipework or have a plumber do it for you like a Dalston Plumber .The drain for the valve should move in a very slight downward movement away from the valve.?It should finish outside the house above ground level by around 6-24 inches. If the drainpipe moves up and down, then water can be trapped against the output side of the valve and the resulting corrosion would seize the valve shut.
