Discharge from water heater relief tube?

Question

My water heater (Bradford-White 40-gal gas, 1 yr old) is discharging through the temperature/pressure relief valve and out the copper down-pipe. It started last week when house guests arrived (they are still here) - could the additional water use be the cause? Or what?

Answer 1

the water is getting to hot for the relief valve, one thing to check is the water temp on the unit and turn it down, the other is the relief valve my need to be replaced.

you may also have an issue with the burner running longer and over heating the water. your thermostat could be bad.

Answer 2

Generally, the relief valve is for for that reason alone, however the use of heating the water more often will cause more condensation, especially on cooler evenings. You may have not noticed it before, for having less people use the Hot water. Kick the guest out, and the you will have less water on the ground.....jk but it would be like that from having more usage than normal.

good luck!