Regulator- Am I doing the right thing? Plus additional help needed

[casuall002]

I have a house that's about 28 years old. For the last few months we've been having issues with water pressure when any other item is on. For example, the hose outside could be on and the pressure drops everywhere else. Flush toilet, run diswasher, run washer, etc...same problems.
I tested the psi outside and right under where the washer hookup is and got about 40-42ish. (there is also a whistle in my pipe.)

The water company came out today and said the Water Pressure Regulator needs to be replaced. So, here's some info but also have some questions. What I have is

Watts
ASSE- 1003
Number- 25AUB
25-75 Range

My questions are:

1. What would you recommend me replacing it with and why? (Brand, Model, etc...)
2. How do I know what to set it at?
3. My dad, father in law, brother in law are all more than handy from plumbing, hvac, construction, etc...so replacing it should be no issue however, is there a good set of instructions/recommendations around here?
4. Is there ANYTHING else you would recommend or suggest?
5. Regardless of the unit failing or not, why would the PSI be so low??? He said everything coming through the service line was fine with no leaks or issues

I appreciate everyones help!

Thanks!

 

[Jerome2877]

They have screens inside that can become plugged with sediment over time and cause your problem. The pressure should be factory set at about 55 psi and this is a good working pressure. Watts is the best IMO so stick with them, I usually will use a 1" or 3/4" prv even if the line is smaller to accommodate future upgrading of your main.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

You can often rebuild them, but the time and price often make it preferable to just replace the whole thing in case something internal that isn't in the rebuild kit is shot. Once installed, you can tinker with the pressure if you wish.

 

[Gary Swart]

With the new PRV, you should install a thermal expansion tank if you don't already have one.

 

[casuall002]

Well, the guy from the water company messed with it and now the pressure is about 80-82. Is that too high? If so, how do I turn it down. Honestly, it doesn't seem to be dropping pressure much. First and foremost I want to find out if it's set too high. I don't want to damage anything.

Thanks everyone for the help!

Also, if I'm going to replace, can someone direct me to a comparable model so I know what to look for. Also, is there directions for replacing somewhere stickied on this site?

Thanks again!

 

[Jimbo]

The range on the regulator is 25 to 75. Generally, if you are seeing pressure higher than 75, it means the regulator diaphragm is leaking or stuck , and passing street pressure. You lower the pressure by turning the screw on top OUT...(CCW).

You may be overthinking this. Your symptoms....drop in pressure under load, noise from the prv....all point to one thing....replace it.

80 is generally considered the max for household pressure, but there is nothing wrong with anything in the 80's. Question is, are you getting unregulated pressure, which could spike up from the street at times??

 

[casuall002]

The range on the regulator is 25 to 75. Generally, if you are seeing pressure higher than 75, it means the regulator diaphragm is leaking or stuck , and passing street pressure. You lower the pressure by turning the screw on top OUT...(CCW).

You may be overthinking this. Your symptoms....drop in pressure under load, noise from the prv....all point to one thing....replace it.

80 is generally considered the max for household pressure, but there is nothing wrong with anything in the 80's. Question is, are you getting unregulated pressure, which could spike up from the street at times??

Well, I think you're right about me overthinking it because honestly I don't know what I'm doing. My dad or father in law will be. I'm just trying to troubleshoot and making sure it actually needs to be replaced and with what part.

I apologize but I don't understand the part about "getting unrelulated pressure, which could spicke up from the street at times??" Sorry, but could you dumb that down for me

Sorry again for all the questions but thanks for all the help!

 

[Gary Swart]

Very often the city water mains carry quite high pressure, much high that desirable for household use. City mains often experience spikes which are potentially damaging to your fixtures such as toilets and washing machine. Actually, pressure as low as 40 psi will be enough. Generally, we keep pressure between 50 and 65 psi. This is done with a pressure regulator valve which is placed on the supply line coming from the street just inside the home. This not only reduces the excessively high pressure, but keeps the pressure from spiking. One should not confuse pressure with flow. Although obvious you have to have pressure to push the water through the pipe, the size of the pipe is the critical factor. A PRV has built into it a check valve to prevent water from the house from backing up into the city main. This presents new problem. When your water heater heats water, the heated water expands. This expansion has to go somewhere. In a water supply system with no PRV, the expansion is easily absorbed by the city main and there is no problem. However, when you at a PRV with the check valve, the expansion has go somewhere. The most common place is the temperature/pressure valve on the water heater. It is designed to open automatically when the temperature or pressure gets into the danger zone. The pressure of that heated water quickly reaches that point (150 psi) and the valve opens to relieve the pressure. Without this protection the water heater will literally explode like a bomb. Fortunately, there is an easy fix for the problem. A thermal expansion tank which is air charged to match the PRV pressure, is installed between the PRV and water heater and provides a temporary storage place for the expanded water. So, how do you know what the pressure is? A $15 pressure gauge from you local hardware store will quickly and easily check water pressure, and an ordinary tire pressure gauge will check the expansion tank. There are different brands of PRV and thermal expansion tanks, the Watts is quite common and they work very well. Hope this little lecture is helpful and not too confusing.

 

[Jadnashua]

Often, especially at night, the water pressure will rise for several reasons: fewer people are using water (think of the use as leaks across the system), and they may be raising the pressure to refill a reservoir or water tower. So, water pressure during normal waking hours may not be representative of the pressure at night. Things in the house that have hoses, and even any valve, are only designed for 'normal' water pressure (with a suitable safety margin). As they age, they are more subject to leaking, sometimes catastrophically. If the hose between the toilet and the shutoff were to split from the pressure, it could make a real mess. Washing machine hoses are another thing that can be really messy. This can happen even with a working PRV, but are more problematic without one. So, it's a good practice to periodically monitor the water pressure and service the PRV, if required. Normally, they require no service until they fail unless you have a lot of dirt in the water, then you may need to clean the inlet filter screen periodically (uncommon, but could happen).

 

[casuall002]

I do have a PSI Gauge. That is what I have hooked up that is reading about 80-82...So, tonight I'm going to turn counter clockwise the pin on the water pressure regulator and bring it down to about 60-65.

In addition, I am probably going to replace the regulator all together and look into a thermal expansion tank. Does all this sound right?

Could someone provide a link to a comparable Watts model I should replace it with as well as the thermal expansion?

Thanks!

 

[Jadnashua]

Go here to figure out what size you need. http://www.watts.com/pages/support/sizing_DET.asp Make sure you get one designed for potable water (not one designed for a boiler!). You can go bigger, but should not go smaller...ideally, you get the right one. ANy good plumbing store will have one that works, all you'd need to do is tell them the size you need. HD and Lowes usually have at least one size in stock as well.

 

[casuall002]

Great info. Thanks to everyone for the help. Until I actually get everything and get it done, does everyone agree to me doing this??? "Tonight I'm going to turn counter clockwise the pin on the water pressure regulator and bring it down to about 60-65."

 

[Gary Swart]

I don't know if this is true for all Lowes stores, but my local one sells PRVs but they have never even heard of a thermal expansion tank! HD stocks them in a couple of sizes.

 

[Jadnashua]

Lowes carries one brand on their website...in some stores, too. No idea if that brand is any good (Utilitech).

Just checked the HD website, and they carry Watts, but at least per their website, they don't stock the one needed for a WH, only carry those for boilers (closed-loop) in the stores. Your results may differ at your local store...

 

[casuall002]

A couple things I've noticed. I'm NOT seeing a drop in pressure with multiple things going on anymore. Is it possible it was just stuck, clogged a bit or even somehow turned too low?

Another thing I've noticed is my shower seems hotter in the same position it's been for ages. Would it make the water hotter with the handle in pretty much the same position?

 

[Jadnashua]

Without knowing the incoming water pressure, it's hard to tell if the thing is working at all...if your supply is 80psi, it's all just passing through without doing anything. You'd need a pressure gauge on the inlet side. If the inlet screen was crudded up, and it was cleaned, that could have resolved things. It might feel warmer because it is being ejected from the showerhead faster. You do get sligthly more water volume when you increse the pressure, so more of your body would be covered, so you might feel warmer.

 

[casuall002]

Without knowing the incoming water pressure, it's hard to tell if the thing is working at all...if your supply is 80psi, it's all just passing through without doing anything. You'd need a pressure gauge on the inlet side. If the inlet screen was crudded up, and it was cleaned, that could have resolved things. It might feel warmer because it is being ejected from the showerhead faster. You do get sligthly more water volume when you increse the pressure, so more of your body would be covered, so you might feel warmer.

Well, as of 2 days ago, the PSI guages were reading 40. Now it's really high after he adjusted the regulator. So, I'm ASSUMING he just took it too far??? Sorry again for so many questions but this stuff is not my field but truly appreciate all the help!