Furry valve

[Les]

Do you see this condition often?

Any anecdotal insight?

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[Terence McCann]

They all look like past leaks Les. One from the packing gland, one from the stop and drain and one looks like a pit leak in the valve body casing. Can't say I've ever seen a casing leak on a valve body like that - see them on cast all the time though.

[Mark P]

Just a thought. Could it have something to do with brass fitting being to close to the exhaust, and back drafting / spillage of flue gases is causing the corrosion?

[John Kogel]

I saw a thread on these somewhere. (So this is based on hearsay). It was a bad batch of castings, just call for "repair" or rather, replacement is the only repair.[]

[hausdok]

It's spillage.

You've got acidic exhaust coming out of that draft diverter that's rising up and is reacting with the copper. Think about what the battery cables on your car look like after they've been exposed to acid for too long.

That's a small single-walled vent emptying into a large flue. It's trying to move a pretty good slug of cold air every time the burner comes on and that's causing it to spill exhaust until it's able to heat the air in that flue enough to establish a draft.

A "B" vent, versus that single-wall, and a flue liner reducing the size of that stack will probably cure it.

ONE TEAM- ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Neal Lewis]

I'm not seeing any draft spillage. The relief valve tag isn't melted and the copper pipe isn't discolored. I see valves pitted like this at locations other than the water heater. Don't know the cause, though.

[Rob Amaral]

Bad casting, self-sealed leak. Replace it.

[hausdok]

Look closely at the union below the valve casting. The same thing is happening there.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Les]

note: all = most for this conversation. there are exceptions.

30-40% of all 3/4" water heater shutoff valves we see are in this condition. (gas & electric)

We write them as defective- not operational.

Often the packing nut is nearly a goner!

All have this identical cast configuration. look closely.

The threaded valves show same deterioration in approx same places.

All are imported.

All are no more than 10yrs old.

Mike is partially right in this particular case. The 40gal nat gas heater vents into a 10"x10" tile above a 7" flue from a 140,000 btu Lennox natural gas forced air furnace. The furnace standing pilot was approx 2" high and could be rated at 5,000 btu. It keeps things dry in the chimney.

My research with a state wide plumbing distributor, indicates these valves came from Eastern Europe. There were a few from China abt 2005. None of this is science. I am interested in how many of these valves inspectors see across the United States and Canada (Brad & Mongo).

[Brandon Whitmore]

My research with a state wide plumbing distributor, indicates these valves came from Eastern Europe. There were a few from China abt 2005. None of this is science. I am interested in how many of these valves inspectors see across the United States and Canada (Brad & Mongo).

I think that it was the Texans over at IN that were running into quite a few of these...