This extra amount of pressure causes the water to expand although it s a closed system that we have in electric water heaters.
Water leaking from water heater pressure valve.
Open a hot water faucet near the heater to release pressure and drain the tank until the water level is below the valve.
Reasons for water discharging from the relief valve.
1 either the water pressure inside the tank is too high 2 the water temperature is too high 3 the t p valve hasn t been used in a few years 4 the wrong t p valve was installed or 5 the t p valve itself has failed.
To remove a t p valve first turn off the electricity or gas and wait for the water to cool which usually takes about 24 hours.
Both circumstances should be taken very seriously.
Technically speaking when a water heater warms the water inside the tank it builds up quite a good amount of pressure.
There are numerous possible reasons your water heater s pressure relief valve leaks.
When water is coming out of the pressure relief valve on your water heater it could signal that too much pressure is building up inside the water heater which is what the valve is designed for due to the burner or element not cutting off in which case the water heater needs to be repaired or replaced.
The relief valve is working the way it s intended and water drained to reduce the pressure inside the tank.
Disconnect the overflow tube you may have to cut it and unscrew the valve with a wrench.
This valve allows water or steam to escape from the water heater if the temperature or pressure gets too high.
When you see water coming out from the water heater release valve there are two most likely causes.
There s a problem with the valve such as a faulty seal and the water is unintentionally leaking.
So when there s a lot of pressure being built inside our electric water heater pressure relief valve it will eventually start leaking water outwards.