A simple 10 second check every few months can quite literally save you hundreds of dollars by getting many years more service out of your hot water system before it needs replacing. Opening the PTR valve for a couple of seconds is all it takes.

To operate/test the PTR valve, look at your hot water tank and find the valve, as you can see in the picture, and and pull on the lever and you should hear a bit of water whooshing through the pipes and release the valve. It is that simple.

As the water in your hot water tank heats up it expands and creates more high levels of pressure in your tank and pipes. To remove this excess pressure when it happens, all hot water systems are fitted with a PTR valve that automatically opens and lets out a bit of water until the pressure settles back to normal. Sometimes the PTR valve can get stuck and the pressure builds up to the point that the storage tank can change shape or burst open, with damaging results.

If you take 10 seconds to occasionally, two or three times a year, operating the PTR valve to check that it is working can keep the valve clear and prevent it jamming or blocking the pressure from being released.If your check of the PTR valve doesn't resulting in water coming out, the valve not moving or is very stiff to move they are signs the the valve need attention and your local friendly plumber in Torquay needs to be called.

Not doing this simple check can cause problems like in the picture where the valve got stuck, the pressure built up and expanded this hot water tank in Torquay to the point that the bottom of the tank became rounded and unbalanced, pulling the hot water service and related plumbing away from the wall. Fortunately this problem was caught before the pipes broke or caused further costly internal damage to the house.