My water pressure test seems high, do I need a water pressure regulator? I did the test at the laundry cold water line and also on an outside faucet with similar results. See Photo.
I have a water shutoff valve in the garage for the house, can a pressure valve be installed there?
Yes,. Normal house hold water pressure and appliances should be operating with about 50 to 65 PSI (80psi is passable but on the high side). Anything higher can cause damage or premature failure.
A Red indicator hand that “Holds” at the highest reading registered to record shock pressure. If left on overnight will register the highest surge pressure which occurred during that period
You reset the red indicator by turning the brass knob in the center until it just touches the black indicator. Do not move the black indicator with the red one.
I am going to leave it plugged overnight. I understand that the black needle is supposed to be between 40 and 80 psi, but what is the proper reading for the red needle? It's been plugged for few hours now and the black needle is still on 90 and the red is couple points higher registering on 170.
I see, so basically ignore the red needle reading and just focus on the black needle since that is the constant pressure. Any idea how much plumbers charge for installing a pressure regulator?
So your house doesn't currently have a pressure reducer valve? The PVRs can be adjusted, they also wear out. I think they can be rebuilt although I've never done so.
After 30 yrs of low water pressure I all of a sudden have high pressure [80psi spikes overnight] so I installed a PVR. The valve along with fittings cost me about $75. A plumber would likely charge more for the parts plus his labor.
So this morning I noticed that the pressure dropped from 90 to 80, does that mean I am okay? After usage this morning the pressure went back to 90. The red needle was about 160 and I rotated to sit on top of the black needle.
Just to clarify the house is 20 years old and never had a PVR, this has become a discussion after we got the bad freeze in Texas couple weeks ago and we had a hot water pipe bust. The pipe was under the kitchen sink and extended through the plywood through a T. So it sat between the plywood and the outside brick as it goes upstairs. I thought that was against code but was told it's not in Texas.
Under those circumstances and since lots of work will be done in you area I would most defiantly want a PRV. As they rework and update your infrastructure you'll most likely see lots of spikes. Too may of those and you risk pipe damage and maybe water using appliances.
With the readings you're getting, I'd recommend a PRV. They are designed so that they only reduce the pressure if it's above the setting point. If your pressure does drop down to more normal ranges, it will sort of 'disable' itself, so it doesn't further reduce the pressure. In other words, there's no harm in adding one.
It's possible with less usage in your neighborhood that the pressure is now higher. Or the water company may have opened some valves somewhere to give more supply. There's unfortunately no way to know if it'll be this way forever, or if it's a temporary anomaly.
But regardless, pressure readings of 90+psi are risking leaks or burst pipes, especially older hoses or solenoids like in washing machines.
The red needle was about 160 and I rotated to sit on top of the black needle.
Some gauges use that red needle as a high-pressure mark, as it will move the needle itself. Others, it's just an indicator for you to set at whatever reading you want for a quick reference. It's hard to tell just by looking at it.
If you're up for DIY-ing it, take a few pics of where your main shutoff is and we can help walk you through the process. There are some options that almost anyone can install.
If your pressure does drop down to more normal ranges, it will sort of 'disable' itself, so it doesn't further reduce the pressure. In other words, there's no harm in adding one.
Thanks for stating that, I wondered whether not the PRV would affect my pressure if it ever returns to the dismal pressure I've had for the last 30 yrs.
I have two valves to shut off water to the house, the first is in the ground next to the water meter which would shut off everything, the second is in the garage which will shut off everything inside the house except outdoor faucets.
When the kitchen pipe busted I turned the valve in the garage off but since it's 20 years old it was still letting water through. The outside inground valve which I never used is rusted, could not turn it by hand and was afraid to use a tool and create another problem because of it's age. See attached photos for the garage valve and outdoor valve.
I have a plumber coming over next week to replace both valves inside the garage and outside, I could ask him to install a PVR. Does it make a difference where the PVR gets installed?
I just talked to the plumbing company and they said it would be installed at the main shutoff outside. The plumber is going to test the pressure with his pro tools to make sure the pressure is high and determine if there is a PVR already installed. If he needs to install one the cost is $450 for a PVR with the valve which is the rusted one in the ground. He said the garage valve will cost around $150.
I understand, I've lived in central Texas 15 years and never seen it drop below 20's, and when it does get into 20's it's just for few hours at night. The arctic fronts we got last month lasted a week. In fact a neighbor who moved to the area couple months ago from Florida got concerned that this is the norm for winters here. Will see what the plumber says on Tuesday after he runs his tests.
I've only installed about a half dozen of them and they were always in the crawlspace [we don't usually have extended extra cold temps] Houses with basements usually have them installed inside. The location is almost always the same - just after/before the plumbing enters the house. I opted to leave my 2 exterior hose bibs unprotected.
Norm, 30 yrs ago taking a shower was a scary proposition as you never knew if you'd have enough water to rinse off. Now I get pressure washed in the shower
A quick update. So the plumber did the repairs this week and installed a PVR, see photo below. I did notice that the original pipe in the ground was larger than the pex he put in. Before the repair the pressure was 90 and stayed 90 no matter how many faucets you run, now it's 60 and it drops to 40 when you open a single faucet and stays close 40 if you open more water lines. We noticed a big difference in the pressure when I open couple faucets, but it's acceptable. The plumber said if we need to adjust the PVR must call them to do it or it would cancel our one year warranty. Another thing is he installed the shutoff valve before the the sprinkler line, originally the shutoff valve was installed after the first T for the sprinkler line. Let me know your thoughts and feedback.
Hello,
I'm working on our remodel plan and some gas changes are needed. My thought was that the gas line sizing would be easy to figure out and I envisioned using an online calculator taking in appliance BTU info and run lengths, but I didn't find anything like that and there seems to be a lot factors that I'm not so interested in digging into. I've attached a diagram of our plan. The current house line I believe is 3/4 and that services the existing furnace, hot water heater and stove. My remodel diagram lists the existing water heater and new stove, but the plan only calls for those lines to be plumbed. Our plan is go electric as much as possible and offset with solar, but we want to keep the gas option alive for the stove and water heater. Each of these lines could be sacrificed to achieve the goal of not upgrading the 3/4 inch service line.
Is there a simple calculator out there that can help me?
Any tips/thoughts on how to best go about the line size calculation?
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Would appreciate any help people can provide.
Jim
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I have 14 years of goo lining the drain. Can I clean this out. It is not clogged but really dirty. When I pulled the washing machine drain hose out of this hole, it was covered in black goo. Should I stick my pressure washer wand in there, or my garden hose? How would you clean it. Thanks
03-08-21, 03:53 PM
. Will see what the plumber says on Tuesday after he runs his tests.
. Will see what the plumber says on Tuesday after he runs his tests.
