When did pressure relief valves become standard?

ChrisJ

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1850974#Comment_1850974

I've never known anyone that had one but what would that be a better indicator of?

This looks like a bad day.

Not boiler explosion bad, but, not good.

EBEBRATT-Ed

T & Ps have been on water heaters as long as I can remember. But MA is pretty strict and used to publish their own plumbing code so maybe that is why.

I do remember when WH did not come with one and you had to buy and install one.

MA requires vacuum breakers and some states still do not.

mattmia2

This is what michigan requires:

since my superstore has the inlet on the side near the bottom I believe it would require one but the inspector did not check for one. Not sure I see 2 psi collapsing a tank anyhow.

ChrisJ

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1850987#Comment_1850987

I believe most states do not require vacuum breakers.

Mad Dog_2

Pressure cookers need a relief valve. My mother & grandmother always used it. Mad Dog

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1851003#Comment_1851003

but they can get clogged with food.

ChrisJ

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1851009#Comment_1851009

Then they make a new relief valve in one way or another.

Mad Dog_2

They were taken apart & cleaned with the pot & lid. Mad Dog

EBEBRATT-Ed

I have had a few pressure cookers never a problem if you use your head. They all have relief valves now. They can get clogged with food.

When she is steaming as long as you keep the heat low and here the relief valve jiggle while it is cooking your fine, that means it is relieving steam. If you don't hear it jiggle you either ran out of water and your stuff is burning or the relief valve is plugged.

Before my wife passed on she wouldn't go in the kitchen if I was using it.

Steam is hot, it cuts the cooking time by quite a bit

I like it it's as close as I get to a boiler anymore.😀😀😀😀

mattmia2

I only use it for canning

Mad Dog_2

What do you can Matt? Mad dog

ChrisJ

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1850997#Comment_1850997

Interesting code since top fed tank heaters all use a dip tube. Why does it being "bottom fed" matter in regards to needing a vacuum breaker or not?

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1851069#Comment_1851069

the dip tube is supposed to have a bleed hole near the top to prevent it from forming a syphon.

mattmia2

I have tried canning a lot of things. Tomatoes when I get enough from my garden. I canned some chicken noodle soup without the noodles. I canned some apple cider while it was in season. The last thing I canned was french onion soup.

Larry Weingarten

Hi, The vacuum breaker was important when lots of tanks were made of copper. With steel tanks, the need is pretty much gone. … That hole in the dip tube is there to prevent siphoning of the tank and dry firing in case a water main break occurs at a lower elevation.

Yours, Larry

ChrisJ

This entire time I thought the reason for the vacuum breaker was to prevent caving the tank in if a line breaks at a much lower elevation.

Never thought about backflow prevention or dry firing the heater.

Mad Dog_2

I've canned Lake chubbs with my buddy Harold after we caught last a bunch in Moosehead Lake in Maine. A lot of fun. Mad Dog