The company I hired for an assessment is a highly rated one in my area (4.8 stars with many reviews). It kind of pissed me off that they were trying to take me for a ride for something that they themselves should have been able to find immediately. They claimed they could not locate the source of the leak and had to replace everything except for the furnace itself.I was able to find the help I needed online with various websites and YouTube tutorials. As it turns out, the culprit was the easiest and most obvious fix, the relief valve itself. The hardest part of the DIY fix other than spending hours diagnosing the problem was simply trying to unscrew the old relief valve in a confined space. Luckily, my wife has a plumber's pipe which did wonders. Ended up buying a new relief valve, a close nipple, and Teflon tape for a little over $30 at Lowe's.I am pretty pissed that they tried to screw us out so badly. I wonder how many others just simply went along and paid what amounts to a 100x markup for such an easy fix. It wouldn't have taken me all that time to diagnose the issue had I been able to find something to flow test the old relief valve with safely.A short summary of what I did:Noticed leaking from relief valve after furnace was inactiveCalled for an assessment immediatelyWanted to flow test the relief valve but I couldn't get it off at the time, plus I hilariously do not have any hoses at the house.Checked aquastat, noted pressure and temp over time, checked all connections for leaks -> Big clue was that the pressure and temp tracked the normal curve during operationFlushed entire system including radiators -> leak slowed downChecked expansion tank (I originally thought this was the problem), verified it was working properly by feeling the difference between warm liquid and airReplaced Teflon tape around relief valveRestarted everything -> leaking lessened but increased over time, however the pressure curve was completely normalRealized it was likely the relief valve and went to LowesReplaced the valve and monitored for 24 hours so farNo leaks, pressure is normal, radiators operating normally and I have heat again after a string of mid-to-low 30 degree nights. via /r/DIY https://ift.tt/2qPCJEp
