little problem with water heater

ddenny

hello

     I went on a call for a dripping tp valve on a kenmore water heater. got the usual tp valve from the plumbing supply removed the old one but couldn't get the new one to screw in. tried another one with the same result then tried a couple of 3/4 inch nipples. same result. so I thought maybe the threads were damaged or cross threaded when the original tp valve was installed. the threads on the old valve and the female part in the water heater look fine. I looked a little closer and it seems that the threads on the original tp valve are ever so slightly tapered. In other words the diameter of the threads at the beginning is slightly smaller than the threads are as you screw it into the water heater. so I was suspicious that maybe sears made "custom" threads in the water heater so you would be forced buy a tp valve from them at 21/2 times the price of the one in the plumbing supply. so the customer had sears mail him one. but that didn't fit either. has anyone has this sort of thing happen to him (her)?

                                                                                  dennis

Paul Fredricks_3

Never saw that before

It sounds like they welded the piece on backwards. They probably have a machine that threads the valves in and it probably just forced it's way on. Do the threads on the old valve look OK?

kcopp

best bet....

short of replacing the heater....lol. Get a 3/4" tap and see if you can open up the hole. kpc