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Adjustable pressure relief valve

scatgo
scatgo Member Posts: 22

I have a hot water coil on my oil burner. There is a adjustable pressure relive vale that is leaking. It is located where the cold water pipe enters the coil. I would like to replace it but I am not sure what the pressure should be. Any help would be appreciated.

Comments

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 12,047

    If it is on the domestic hot water side it can be replaced with a standard fixed t&p valve. Are you sure it is a relief valve and not something else? Can you show us a picture of it?

    scatgoIntplm.
  • bburd
    bburd Member Posts: 1,144

    The PRV may not be at fault. If your water service includes a backflow preventer, you need a small expansion tank on the domestic hot water piping to make room for the additional volume of water as it is heated. Most municipal water meters now have a BFP.


    Bburd
    scatgo
  • scatgo
    scatgo Member Posts: 22

    This is the valve.

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 10,277

    The chances are that you have anywhere from 50 to 80 PSI city water pressure.  That is why the original installer selected the adjustable relief valve.  I would select 100 PSI to 120 PSI for a cold side on the tankless coil DHW heater.  Do you know what your city water pressure is under normal conditions?  That would be a determining factor.  As @bburd said about your water meter having a backflow preventer, if that is something that was recently added when the new meter was installed, your system may not be able to handle the expanding hot water in your potable water piping.  That would cause the water in the piping to expand to a point where it might cause a pipe to burst or a relief valve to operate (release water).  A therm-extrol for DHW service may be able to solve the problem.

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

    scatgo
  • scatgo
    scatgo Member Posts: 22
    edited 12:49AM

    No backflow preventer. And the installer added a vertical length of copper pipe to the system to act as a expansion tank. This is the type of coil I am talking about.

  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,770

    Hi, Does your valve look something like this? It might have been used so there is no temperature sensitive part. I'd measure the static water pressure and then set the valve about 20 psi higher. It would be good to use a pressure gauge that has the red "lazy hand" so you know what the highest pressure has been over, say a 24 hour period. If you have a pressure reducer or back-flow preventer, you may get pressure spikes when the water heater fires. In no case do you want the system exposed to pressure over 80 psi.

    Yours, Larry

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 12,047

    oh, because in a steam boiler it could get hot enough for the temp part of a regular t & p valve to operate

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 17,415

    Not a T & P just pressure only. Usually a 15-175 lb valve.