Thread: Is this TPR valve configuration allowed, and if not, why?

Is this TPR valve configuration allowed, and if not, why? Is the valve required to be mounted to the tank itself? (I think it is). See photo

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Here's a short breakdown provided by Watts:

Temperature and Pressure (T&P) relief valves - Support - Water Safety & Flow Control -Watts

That whole TPR setup looks goofy. Is the flex connector plumbed into the tank's output or side mounted TPR port? The tank doesn't look that old.

It isn't monitoring the tank temperature, so it is less effective as a safety device. The discharge tube is also wrong. Why install it at all if you can't do it right?
The TPRV has a long probe that should reach into the tank so it can monitor the water temp in the tank.

You're both right of course. I forgot about the temperatue aspect of the valve, I was so focused on the pressure side of it. Rip my license to shreds!


Thanks

Gene

The probe of the T&P relief valve is required to be in the top 6" of hot water in the tank ... "in the tank" .

That is an excellent example of "How NOT to install a water heater."

Less in importance than previous points, but the TPR drain is supposed to have gradient, ( a drain slope - - - help me the right words are missing ), from it's point of origin.

Originally Posted by Garry Blankenship

Less in importance than previous points, but the TPR drain is supposed to have gradient, ( a drain slope - - - help me the right words are missing ), from it's point of origin.

Garry,

It does have a gradient, just a positive gradient (as in "up") for the T&P relief valve sensing element (which is going down into the copper pipe and, presumably, below the bottom of the photo is another elbow and turn to and into a side T&P opening).

Now, if the above is presumed to be the way it is connected, then the T&P relief valve discharge (the direction of the arrow on the valve) also has a negative gradient (as in "down"), so that aspect may be okay.

However, at the edge of the side of the water heater, the discharge line appears to be almost crimped - which is, of course, not good.

Neither is the crimped and flattened flexible piping connected to the top of the water heater (cold in? hot out?).

Even thought that photo does not show much, it show a lot which is wrong (shows nothing which is correct ).

Perhaps what i'm going to say has been answered above, so bear with me.

The T&P in the pic is installed back to front, and will not operate correctly on the pressure side or the temperature side, regardless of it's position relative to the top six inches of the tank. The arrow, of course, points to the discharge port.

AAMOI: The Watts 100XL T&P valve claims to go either, into the tank tapping, or into the hot water outline.

FWIW: I prefer pics of the detail, and of the whole set-up ( esp. of water heaters) if possible. I find that it's easier to come to a more solid conclusion when i can see the "thing" in context. It's often typical that when a bit of bad installation is shown then further faults, or clues, will exist in-situ.

Originally Posted by tom daley

The T&P in the pic is installed back to front, and will not operate correctly on the pressure side or the temperature side, regardless of it's position relative to the top six inches of the tank. The arrow, of course, points to the discharge port.

What do you mean by "back to front"? The photo does not show where the T&P connection to the tank is. The T&P opening could be on the side of the tank, on the top of the tank, or both. If the T&P opening is on the side of the tank, then the valve is like not installed "back to front" (if I am understanding what you mean by that). That was a question I raised as the photo does not show which end is connected to the T&P opening.

AAMOI: The Watts 100XL T&P valve claims to go either, into the tank tapping, or into the hot water outline.

Yes and no, but basically no.

The XL *Extra Long* element on the 100XL means you can install in down through a tee going into the hot water out opening, but because of the "extra long" element, the sensing element is still in the top 6" of water in the tank.

It is NOT allowed to be installed in the "hot water outline" at any other location.

Jerry, thank you for noticing my post.

I didn't read your post, or the pic, correctly, and had the whole T&P Valve and discharge pipe back to front, if indeed the Cu tube connects to a lower down the tank discharge port - it might even be picking up the drain valve/port ( a dangerous proposition ).

As regards the Watts 100XL i agree with what you say as to it's purpose and location.

Originally Posted by tom daley

it might even be picking up the drain valve/port ( a dangerous proposition ).

I had not considrd tht the cu pip miht go dwn 2 the dran opnig.
(your time was apparently too precious to spell out copper, so I figured I'd save as much of that precious commodity as I could )

Yes, that would certainly be a dangerous proposition.