Can you ros recommend a good PRV?

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Vegas_sparky

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I don't have anything blowing apart yet, but it looks pretty high to me. This was measured overnight, at the furthest point from the main( a body spray jet outlet with thermo valve wide open). Is that an appropriate point to measure?

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I'd like something that can be serviceable in the future.

Once installed, what is a good pressure to set it at?
 

Gary Swart

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Anything over 80 psi is considered too high. Actually, pressure as low as 40 is OK. Optimum is 50 to 60 psi. Watts is one good brand of PRV. In addition to a PRV you must install a thermal expansion tank in the cold water line after the PRV. You pressurize this tank to the same pressure as you set the PRV. In my city, HD carries these tanks, Lowe's do not.
 

Vegas_sparky

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I'm finally getting around to plumbing this. While I'm at it, I want to install a soft water loop.

To me it looks like a 1" coming up through the slab, and reduced to 3/4" immediately afterwards. This is the main shut off for the interior of the house. From there is a 3/4", and a 1/2" supply going to the house.

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Should I keep the PRV, and water softener loop as 1" PEX? Is a bypass around the PRV something that is typically installed? Is there anything lacking, or wrong with my drawing/plan?

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Reach4

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Don't forget to feed softened water to the hose bibs if you will water lawn/plants.

Some feed unsoftened water to the cold on the kitchen sink. Some add a third faucet at the kitchen sink for some drinking and for house plants. Hard water is definitely better for plants. Some like the taste of hard water for drinking, and a few are on sodium restricted diets. For most, drinking that amount of salt is not significant. The salt is usually not enough to taste. If you get a reverse osmosis unit, its input should definitely be softened water.

Many (maybe most today) softener installations use a pre-made bypass unit that hooks right to the softener. In that case your 3 valves are not needed.

You also need a diaphragm pressure tank after the PRV. I think this should be before any valve that is after the PRV, but I could be mistaken on that. The purpose of that tank is both to absorb any tiny leak through the PRV and to absorb water due to the expansion of water due to heat in the water heater.

You could consider adding pressure gauges after, and maybe before, the PRV. That is not common, but gauges are fairly cheap.
 

Vegas_sparky

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Thanks for the replies, fellers. :)

The softener won't get installed this weekend, but hooefully within the next month. The valves are going in to accommodate that. The PRV, and an expansion tank are my priority right now.

I'm going to stick with 1" if I can.

Do these PRVs leak at all when they fail, or just stop working? That's why I wondered about plumbing a bypass around it. I may not be here when it fails, and my wife would need to valve around it until I could fix it.

Does the expansion tank get installed at cold line at/near the water heater?

Gauges are cool. Maybe I will add some.
 

hj

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When they fail, they almost always INCREASE the pressure, which is what you bypass would also do, so it is unnecessary, and in any case it is seldom a "spontaneous" failure, but rather gradual over a period of time. The softener will come with a bypass manifold so you do not need the valved one.
 

Vegas_sparky

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Wish I would have figured out what I needed, and brought parts up with me yesterday. 100 miles of fun lies ahead. I don't know what I'm doing! LOL

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Reach4

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Does the expansion tank get installed at cold line at/near the water heater?
I don't know what best practices say. Having done some more thinking, I guess it could be after a valve. I would think between the PRV and the first device after the PRV. That way the water softener or other device would not have to face the excess pressure. If the water heater cannot "see" the PRV, you have the T+P valve that will let off pressure at about 150 PSI. However if you turn off the water heater when you close the valve into the water heater, then the water will not be heating and should not expand much.

If you turn off the valve to the WH, the PRV should still be able to "see" the pressure tank. That's my thinking. It is an attempt at logic rather than a statement of best practices or rules.
 

Vegas_sparky

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This is all because the TPR is spitting about a gal/month. It's puking almost always after a shower, when the +130psi cold water gets heated.

I bought $600 in brass and fittings. Hope I didn't forget something.
 

Noyzee1

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Random thoughts-
I put the Wilkins 70XL 1" PRV on my input line a couple of years ago (from HD). I then found an "almost new" identical one at a local swap meet here for peanuts, about $10, which I will use as a parts unit should the need arise. The Watts and Wilkins units are plentiful here and my old one was a Braukmann from the 80's which was bad and did not regulate at all. I could NOT get parts for this unit, BTW.
I would personally recommend one of the more common units for this very reason, BTW.
Plus, if it needs replaced in a decade or two, the spacing will be the same for an exact replacement.

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Noyzee1

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That's great!
I don't like how the rebuild kits or cartridges cost nearly as much as the whole valve, though. That encourages waste!
One more thing to mention is that I put the unit with unions on both sides, input and output, in order to facilitate change out if need be. My old one only had one union and was a PITA to get out.
I don't think it was mentioned yet, but would recommend that to Mr. V. Sparky.
 

Vegas_sparky

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I only had (2) choices in 1" from the closest creepodepot. The 70XLDU, and the 600XL.

Went with the 70XL because of the DU's. ;)

Looks like I was trick or treating in a neighborhood of all plumbers(except for the whole PEX thing). LOL

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Vegas_sparky

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Dialed in at 70psi...

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And the master shower still rips. Glad that didn't go to crap. :confused:

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Now for shut offs, and expansion tank at upstairs WH.
 

Vegas_sparky

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Another question.... Any reason this PRV can't be oriented with the pressure set screw pointing down? The installation pamphlet shows it pointing up.
 

Noyzee1

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No, the adjustment screw is usually toward the place of best clearance, to adjust if necessary. The orientation of the valve doesn't matter- just make sure the water flow is in the direction marked on the valve.
 
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