Dishwasher leaking water?

What should I do if I accidentally opened the TPR valve on my hot water heater?

• I had a plumber come by to hook up a dishwasher. In doing this, he closed the valve to my hot water heater. After the dishwasher was installed, he left without opening the valve to allow hot water to flow back into the water heater. I called him and he told me how to open the valve and turn the hot water back on. In doing so, I accidentally opened and closed the TPR valve on my hot water heater multiple times before realizing that all I had to do was twist a different valve to allow water to flow. I took a shower and when I got out, there was water leaking from the bottom of the hot water heater. Turns out water was also leaking through the floor and dripping into the basement. I immediately closed the valve to the hot water heater, and then went outside and turned off the water to the house. The leaking stopped, and I am wondering what I should do from here. Was the leak simply the TPR valve draining? Am I able to turn on the water to the house and open the valve to the hot water heater?

• Answer:

  Put a bucket under the outlet of the relief valve then turn everything back on. There may be a chunk of debris in the relief valve and you may be able to clear it by opening it (briefly) a couple of times. If that doesn't fix it, call the plumber back to replace the TRP. If that doesn't work, see if there is a pressure-reducing valve on the incoming cold water. If there is, you may need to add a small expansion tank. What a pressure-reducing valve looks like: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6MeIfYAsqJJVo7LAWdhvxMpWbh_BVv8v4tqR4p0AQjUbWtaJY