Leaking water regulator

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rb99

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#310436 18-Oct-2023 21:57

If anyone's around, we have a water supply going into the hot water tank that seems to be - pipe going into open / close tap, then into water pressure regulator thing, going into another open / close tap, going into hot water cylinder. The regulator decided to leak. Do we turn off the bottom tap, or the top tap, or leave, or do both ? I imagine just the bottom tap. Should we turn off the power to the water heater. Is there a way to have hot water tomorrow morning ? Can we turn the supply off but leave the power on, or will that burn out the heater element ? Thanks

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#3149975 19-Oct-2023 06:53

I'm sorry this has happened to you. When my wetback decided to start leaking it was around the same time of night.

While the advice is way too late, the key thing is to protect your element by ensuring the cylinder is always full or near full. Turning off both taps would likely have been a safe option. If the leak is minor, putting a bucket under it when turning the taps back on may be sufficient while getting it sorted.

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#3149990 19-Oct-2023 08:14

Yes, its drip, drip, drip, which adds up to quite a bit apparently. Have turned off the power to the water cylinder heater and the water to the house. Have a large bowl underneath. Just wish it would stop dripping, don't know where it comes from. Maybe the hot water cylinder it feeds into is letting a bit of water back, but the drips never felt hot. If I open the cold taps, there's always a bit of water, but not much and little pressure. Oh well.

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#3150007 19-Oct-2023 09:08

While you are not at this point, when the low pressure hot water cylinder at my last place had a leak we had the plumber replace it like-for-like in a hurry. In hindsight we should have suffered a few days without and completed an upgrade of some sort. I had several years to kick myself for that hasty decision before moving.

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rb99

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#3150009 19-Oct-2023 09:15

Well I certainly hope the hot water cylinder is OK, as its only 5 and a bit years old, as is the pressure regulator.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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