Piping tee'd off the TPR

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Any Plumbers out there?

I thought I post this before, but maybe not.
I never got an explanation to the piping of this hot water tank where the piping is tee'd off the TPR coming out of the tank. I had a plumber with me at the time and he did not know either if this was right or wrong. Plumber was a friend of the client. Good plumber? LOL





Thanks

[Wayne B. Wilson]

I would write it up, TPR shouldn't be installed in a tee, Second question why would they do that anyway. lol

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Don't know Wayne, this was back in February, and never really found out.
I just stumbled over the picture in my documents.
I know at the time I stated in the report that it needed further evaluation from a licensed plumber, for it did not look like it was proper.
Still curious on the piping configuration.

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Piping tee'd off the TPR

What did he do, and did they get in a fist-fight over it???

Seriously though...

No, not allowed. There should be no modification of any kind between the TPR valve and the tank, as well as no tee in the drain line. In the pic you posted, I would think there is a great chance the TPR would not release if it needed to.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

That is exactly what I told the Plumber friend of the client when I saw that. I told him, I think there is something wrong with that picture and he said, looks alright to me.
Then I said, look, the tpr should be on its own and if something happens, the pressure would release in the system instead of the exterior.
I still have not figured out the piping purpose on this configuration and what was the intent of the function.

Bugs the hell out of me.

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by mcyr

That is exactly what I told the Plumber friend of the client when I saw that. I told him, I think there is something wrong with that picture and he said, looks alright to me.
Then I said, look, the tpr should be on its own and if something happens, the pressure would release in the system instead of the exterior.
I still have not figured out the piping purpose on this configuration and what was the intent of the function.

Bugs the hell out of me.

Maybe the Plumber was on acid and thinking it was a good way to set up a circulation system.

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Originally Posted by mcyr

That is exactly what I told the Plumber friend of the client when I saw that. I told him, I think there is something wrong with that picture and he said, looks alright to me.
Then I said, look, the tpr should be on its own and if something happens, the pressure would release in the system instead of the exterior.
I still have not figured out the piping purpose on this configuration and what was the intent of the function.

Bugs the hell out of me.

Looks like a Tempering Valve peeking out from behind the TPR drain tube.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

I think it was Jeff, can't remember.
I should pull out the File Disc to see if I have other views.

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

If it is, that would explain the piping setup. Hooked into the TPR still a major no-no. Guess they were thinking to not waste the scalding hot water when it gets ready to blow, and the tempering valve will prevent the person taking a shower from getting scalded when it does. Priorities ya know!

[Larry D. Kage]

Marcel, was this tank for storage or was it a water heater with a specific opening for the TPR?

Another thought to consider...

http://www.ashireporter.org/articles/articles.aspx?id=1568

From above article:

"From time to time, I find the TPR valve installed in the hot water piping away from the tank. Though standard storage tank water heaters have an opening specifically for the safety valve, some water storage tanks do not. In this situation and on the rare occasion the valve opening is used for something else, manufacturers recommend that a tee be placed at the hot water outlet and that the TPR valve be screwed directly into the top of the tee. The heat sensor (thermostat) of the TPR valve should pass through the tee and be submerged in the upper 6 inches of the tank water. The side opening of the tee is fitted and piped to deliver hot water to the house."

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Larry, I think you are right. It was a holding tank.
Just pulled out another photo from files that shows piping to the furnance.
That may help to explain the configuration.
I know at the time, I was baffaled by the way this was piped.



This help?

And to think the guy with me was a Plumber.

[Chuck Evans]

The TPR looks like it has a dedicated discharge line pointing down. There are no valves upstream or downstream of the TPR valve itself. Only question I see is whether the sensor probe is actually long enough that it extends into the tank.

I think your plumber is OK here

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

If there are no heating elements in that tank, there is no need for a TPR. It's probably just a pressure relief valve, in which case, it's OK.

The whole configuration is a bit extreme, but it appears to simply be a recirculating system or "hot water loop."

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Thanks Jeff, that would make sense that only a pressure valve was needed. But the configuration of the piping on the tank sure took me for a loop at the time.
Must be why I kept that photo in my documents as a lone ranger for all this time. Still trying to figure it out.

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by mcyr

Larry, I think you are right. It was a holding tank.
Just pulled out another photo from files that shows piping to the furnance.
That may help to explain the configuration.
I know at the time, I was baffaled by the way this was piped.



This help?

And to think the guy with me was a Plumber.

That's a Canadian Boiler made in New Brunswick...EH! See them a lot in my area.

That Superstor tank is usually used in an indirectly heated DHW situation. The boiler would have its own TPR and the tank would have its own.

Here's from a Superstor installation manual:

DOMESTIC HOT WATER OUTLET CONNECTION
Use both thread tape and pipe dope, and connect an NPT brass tee. In the run of the brass tee, install an NPT brass T & P valve long element, for hot water storage tanks (ANSI Z212B-1984), by a nationally recognized lab that maintains periodic inspection of production listed equipment. Make sure that the relief valve is sized to the BTU/Hour capacity and storage capacity of the water heater. The temperature and pressure relief valve must be plumbed down so discharge can exit only 6” above, or at any distance below the structural floor; and cannot be in contact with any live electrical parts.

So it looks like it's done to manufacturer's instructions.....except it's not a brass T. These instructions are from a newer model though.