The safety valve, also popularly called the “check valve ”, performs several functions simultaneously. It comes standard with any water heater and is a must when installing a boiler.
First of all, the
safety valve is designed to enable emergency discharge of water from the
water tank at the slightest increase in pressure inside the boiler. When the pressure begins to exceed the permissible norm, then there is a discharge of water using the valve through a special hole. Many consumers, as soon as water begins to drip from the nozzle of the valve, suggest that a breakdown has occurred. In fact, in this case there was an increase in pressure, and the descent of excess water began to occur. As soon as excess water is removed from the water heater, the pressure inside it will normalize, and the boiler will begin to work in normal mode. In some cases, discharge can occur quite often, so experts recommend connecting a drainage hose to the valve to allow water to flow directly into the sewer. This may violate the aesthetics of the room, but you will never have puddles on the floor.
Frequent pressure drops can be associated with its surges in a centralized water supply system. This problem can be easily solved by installing a gearbox at the entrance to the house or apartment, which will lower the pressure. Due to this device, no matter what pressure differences are in the water supply network, water will flow into the apartment at a constant fixed pressure.
Pressure can always be adjusted using a special valve.
Another important function that the safety valve performs is to cut off the possible flow of hot water into the cold water pipe. In addition, it provides a normal supply of cold water to the tank. The main task that the safety valve of the water heater performs in this case is to prevent the outflow of hot water into the pipe from the cold during the period of shutdown of the water supply system. This will help prevent damage to the heater due to its overheating.
Since the boiler is a water heater that needs regular cleaning, there will always be a need to drain the hot water in the tank. A safety valve installed on the device allows you to do this without any problems. You can drain water from the tank in various ways. The easiest way is to drain the water directly through the pressure relief
valve. To do this, just put a hose of a suitable diameter on it, open the faucet with hot water - and you can drain the water using a special lever mounted on the device. This is necessary for air to enter the tank, which contributes to the rapid discharge of water. In this case, the supply of cold water to the tank must be shut off.