The relief valve in your RV water heater is very important for maintaining the pressure of water inside the device. One of the common problems with this valve is that sometimes the water will start dripping from the relief valve whenever you try to cycle the water heater.
Usually, it is not a serious issue and you don’t necessarily have to do anything about a little bit of water dripping from the valve.
However, if the amount of water dripping from the relief valve is too much or the water is dripping continuously from the valve then you should try following the methods mentioned below to potentially fix the RV water heater relief valve leaking issue.
RV Hot Water Heater Relief Valve Leaking
- Regulate Pressure
Among other things, you should start by checking the pressure of water in your RV. It is the most common reason that can cause the leaking issue. To verify whether or not your RV is running into this problem because of pressure issues, you can just use your faucet to see if the water pressure will knock something from your hand or not.
If the water rushes out of the faucet, then you will have to adjust the pressure regulator and bring down the water pressure a bit. That should help you fix the leaking issue from your relief valve if it is not defective.
If your relief valve is still leaking then you should also check the valve stem to check whether or not it is in its proper place. You will have to ensure that the stem is not loose and it is sitting properly in the close position.
If the valve stem is loose then you will need to tighten up the stem with the help of a hammer and a screwdriver and that should fix the issue with the leaking valve in your RV.
- Turn Down Temperature
After regulating the water pressure in your RV, you should also check the temperature settings on the water heater. You should always use the heater on recommended temperature settings and not heat the water at high temperatures.
Along with the leaking issues, it can put you and other people in danger. So, if the water won’t stop leaking from the relief valve, then you should bring down the temperature settings on your water heater.
Even if the water pressure on the regulator is optimal, heating the water at higher temperatures can create a lot of pressure in the tank.
This is one of the reasons why the water won’t stop dripping from the relief valve. The valve is there to reduce the pressure inside the water heater but when the temperature is too much, it creates excessive pressure in the tank. That is why the water starts leaking continuously from the valve.
So, if you are running into a leaking issue then you might have to reduce the temperature settings on your water heater. That should help bring down the pressure inside the tank and you won’t have to deal with the water leak any time soon.
- Replace the Defective Valve
If the relief valve is leaking after regulating the pressure and the temperature then it might be that the relief valve is defective. In which case, the only solution left is to get the relief valve replaced.
Luckily, the replacement is quite easy to perform and you can just buy a new relief valve yourself and install it in your RV. You will need a few basic tools to first remove the top plate and that should give you better access to the relief valve. Then you can just unscrew the relief valve and screw in the new relief valve.
Make sure to first drain out the water tank to easily replace the valve. You can also use Teflon tape to seal the valve into place. After screwing in the new valve, you can put back everything on the top plate and that should be it.
Now, if you don’t have any temperature and pressure issues, the valve should start working properly. If you don’t want to replace the valve yourself then you can always take your RV to a workshop and a mechanic will take care of everything for you.
the brass on the relief valve has broken up and i dont have a lot of room should i use penatrating oil and let hot water tank to get hot so it expands