I have a six year old GE GG40T6XA natural gas, 62 gallon water heater. I assume there is not supposed to be water dripping from the fitting that is shown in the link below:
Thanks for your reply.
David Farber L.A., CA
leaking from the drain valve?
I'd carefully open the valve shown and re-close it (the escaping water will be hot.) You may have some foreign matter in the valve that is keeping it from sealing completely. This is not where I'd expect a leak to occur. I doubt that your water heater has died if this is where the only "leak" is.
RB
David Farber wrote:
The drain c*ck has a slight leak. That is a standard garden hose thread on the outlet. You can purchase a hose "cap" to close it off. Make sure the cap has a hose washer inside.
Jim
Thanks for the expertise. I was hoping it would be something simple like that.
Regards, David Farber L.A., CA
Yes, the drain valve. I've uploaded a new captioned photo to make the problem clearer.
Hi Jim,
I bought a hose cap and installed it with a hose washer. There still is a very slight drip. At first I hand tightened it and it was not of much help at all. Then I used some pliers. It leaked less but it still dripped. I then used a pipe wrench and very gingerly gave it a snug turn. Still drips. I was wondering if I need to put some teflon tape on the threads or try a different approach to the problem. The cap is made out of pvc.
Thanks for your reply.
David Farber L.A., CA
The rubber washer should seal it; tape on the threads might help in this case. If the drip is not from under the cap, it may be leaking past the valve itself. The cap is going to prevent any major leakage; you may want to leave well enough alone at this point. Put a drip pan under it... Jim
it is fairly easy to replace the drain valve. home depot or lowes has them.
you have to drain the hot water heater to replace the drain valve. turn heater to 'pilot' before draining (if gas).
Thanks for your reply.
David Farber L.A., CA
Try a *brass* cap. Thread tape or dope may help a little too or may not, as they are straight threads and not designed to seal tight. The hose washer is supposed to seal tight. Thy a differant hose washer too, reddish rubber vs the vinyl ones perhaps. You may need to snug the cap w/ pliers, hand tight
*may* not be enough. At worst, you could replace th evalve completely, but a good hose cap should do the job.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.