Water – pressure activated water valve

Have you opened all the other water faucets in the home and flushed the toilets? There may be water in the line. The only other idea is that your water heater and water softener unit may be trying to fill up, causing low water pressure. Make sure there are no other water leaks.

I too am not a pro but can figure things out. I had to replace the on/off valve on my toilet not to long ago. I could not afford a new one at the moment. So I turned off the water main, and removed the valve. I soaked it in vinegar over night. (I did this at 10pm to 6 am.) I filled my bathtub with water and used a small bucket of water in the bathroom and filled with water and poured it in the toilet to flush. I then re-wrapped the threaded connection and reassembled the valve. It wasn't perfect but it lasted another couple days. Then I replace with a new one.

You may want to consider putting in an on/off valve under the toilet. I have had to install several in my home as none of the showers had any.

The short answer: you should replace the relief valve.

The long answer: In general, you should not attempt to repair any pressure relief valve. This valve is the only over-pressure safety in the system. This should only open if there is a blockage in the system (causing a pressure buildup), or if filling the system with a faulty pressure reducing valve.

Normally these valves fail due to calcium build up on the interior, which is hard to avoid without having a water softening system installed.

I would recommend changing out both the pressure relief valve, and the pressure reducing valve, as it appears to have quite a bit of calcium build up as well (and may have a small leak). To have both replaced would generally cost in the range of $200 to $500, depending if you replaced them yourself or not. If there are no other leaks or issues with the system, changing both of these valves will solve your zero-pressure issue.