A leaking pressure relief valve usually means getting a new valve. There is little that can be fixed on them, once they go bad.

Before you decide that your pressure relief valve is leaking, you want to check the valve and make sure that it is bad. See the aticle "Checking a Presssure and Temperature Valve' for instructions on what to do.

If you are sure that your valve is leaking, there is not much you can do to fix it. See the article 'Replacing a Water Heater Pressure Relief Valve' to find out what you need to do.

Your leaking hot water heater may be from the pressure relief valve. The pressure relief valve is on the side of you hot water tank near the top. It may have a copper tube attached to it. This tube channels the hot water down to the floor.

When the pressure inside your hot water tank builds up to the danger level the pressure relief valve releases the pressure. This is safety feature that is built into every tank. When the valves go bad they start to vent when the pressure is not at the danger level. This can be just dripping to a full blown spray.

There is not an adjustment on a pressure relief valve. You will need to replace it if it is venting and leaking water. 

A leaking water heater drain valve may be easy or not so easy to fix. The age and quality of your tank are both factors.

You have a three options with the leaking valve, one would be to try and tighten the fittings on the valve, see 'Tightenting a Water Heater Drain Valve'. Second would be to put a cap on the spigot, this only works if the leak is small.  See 'Capping a Water Heater Drain Valve'. Third, you can replace the valve, this is a bigger job. See 'Replacing a Water Heater Drain Valve' for more information.

For a list of all the water heater topics, see 'Troubleshooting Gas Water Heaters' and 'Electric Water Heater Troubleshooting'.

Near the bottom of your hot water tank you will find the drain valve. From the factory your hot water tank comes with a plastic valve. These valves are not high quality and sometimes they start leaking when you use them. How serious this is depends on how bad it is leaking and where it is leaking.

The first thing to do is open the valve a little and then shut it back off and tighten it. This will release any sediment that may have caught in it. Did this fix your leaking hot water heater? Yes, great, you're done.

Where is the water coming from. Is it coming from the spigot? Is it minimal? You could take the easy way out and put a cap on it. A couple of bucks at the hardware store.

Is the spigot leaking a lot? Or is it leaking where it connects to the tank? Yes to either of these means you should replace the valve. Go to the article 'Replacing a Water Heater Drain Valve' for information on changing the valve.

A leaking hot water heater, is this bad news or what? It could be, on the other hand it may not be that serious. What do you have a 40, 50 or even a 60 gallon hot water tank? That's a lot of water.

Your water heater has water lines entering and exiting. Fittings can leak and the tank itself can leak. There are several possible sources for leaks on a hot water tank. There is information below that will help to track down the issue.

Do you have another problem with your water heater? See the article 'Electric Water Heater Troubleshooting' and 'Troubleshooting Gas Hot Water Heater Problems' for a listing of all the issues that can come up with a water heater. The articles will point you to resources to solve the problem.

Not All Drips Are Leaks

Several years ago I installed a new hot water tank in my home. I was thoroughly proud of myself when I fired it up. It was a big job, it went fairly well and I was quite confident that it was a success. After a few minutes I noticed water dripping onto the floor. I checked all of the fittings, no leaks. What could it be?

I was devastated, it appeared to be coming from the tank. A brand new hot water tank and I managed to get a defective one. I found a phone number in the manual, good deal, I was going to do some venting. This was the early eighties and technology was not what it is today. I got an automated response system with a not convincing computer generated voice. After several minutes and a plethora of questions I got my answer. Condensation, the tank was filled with cold water and now it was heating up. By the next morning there was not any sign of water dripping.

Leaking Hot Water Heater - Information

Not sure how to answer this. Tightening a fitting could be a $100 experience. Finding out that your tank is leaking and you need a new one, well that is going to cost a lot more. Let's hope your problem is simple and you are going to realize it is nothing or be able to fix it within a half an hour. Go with the $100 figure. Great pay if you can do it in a half an hour.

Fixing a leaking hot water heater by tightening something is not that hard. Finding out it is just condensation is even easier. Replacing a hot water tank is hard and not the subject of this article.

Condensation is the easiest thing. Is the tank filled with cold water? Then it is condensation. Tightening the drain valve is also pretty easy.

Old corroded fittings can be difficult to work with. You may think you will just tighten something up and bang, you break it. When the tank is leaking you are living on borrowed time. Forty gallons on hot water on your floor can make a big mess and damage other things. Being without hot water will irritate the family, especially if it lasts any length of time.

Troubleshooting a Leaking Hot Water Heater

The water heater drain valve is a common culprit for water heater leaks. The article 'Leaking Water Heater Drain Valve' will give you some tips on what to do with it.

Another item that is prone to leaking is the pressure relief valve. They are designed to open when a dangerous pressure is reached. An older valve may open before the pressure is high enough. You can review the article 'Leaking Pressure Relief Valve' by following this link.

You have cold water pipes leading into and hot water pipes leading out of your hot water tank. It could be that some of these are leaking. See the article 'Leaking Water Heater Pipes' for more information.

Condensation is not a leak at all, although it might appear to be. When there is a lot of cold water in the tank, condensation can occur. The article 'Water Heater Condensation' tells you when this can occur and what to watch for.

The worst leak of all is that tank itself. Water heater tanks are glass lined and made of cast metal material. They cannot be repaired when they crack. Replacing it may have be your only option. To review this subject, see 'Leaking Water Heater Tanks'.

Summary

Were you able to take care of your leaking hot water heater? I hope it was something simple. Changing a drain valve or a pressure relief valve is a little work. Tightening the fittings can also be a little tough.

Or did you find out it was something really easy like condensation. Nothing to do at all. I'm afraid to ask, was the news bad? Is your hot water tank terminal? Is the tank leaking? Are you sure it is not condensation? This is not good news. Replacing it means a big expense and a lot of work. Sorry.

Removing objects stuck in a disposal will need to be done even after you get it freed up. Disposals will not grind up certain things, so removing them is the best course.

Coins and rings are a couple of things that can jam a garbage disposal. They get wedged between the turntable and the side of the housing and can be difficult to dislodge. Try to locate the object if you can.

I know, you were probably trying to use it when the jam occurred. Try to remove the water and food and see if you can identify the object. Use pliers, a screwdriver or tongs to get it free. No fingers, please.

Once the object is free, use the tongs to extract it. Go back to the allen wrench and make sure the jammed garbage disposal is moving freely now.

When it is moving freely, you can remove the wrench and turn the power back on. Check to see that the disposal is working correctly. It's grinding and the water is going down? Wonderful this jammed garbage disposal will soon be a forgotten memory.

Prying the Disposal

Prying a jammed disposal with a broom handle or another similar object is not a good idea. See the article 'Using a Garbage Disposal Wrench' for the best method on freeing up a jam.

I'm not sure whether using a broom handle to free a jammed garbage disposal is a last resort or creative thinking. If you don't have an allen wrench and it is too late to go out, it is creative thinking. If all else has failed then it is a last resort. I do not believe that a broom handle will generate much more force than the allen wrench and a pair of pliers would. If it makes you feel better, try it.

At this point, you may be faced with a tough decision. Assuming you cant' free up the motor and you cannot find an object that can be removed, you may be faced with replacing your disposal.

Try one more time with the allen wrench to worry it loose. Still stuck? I feel your pain. A new disposal will run between $75 and $200. The difference is for power, features and whatever else they use to get you to spend more. It will take an hour or so to replace.