Water hammer, or machine gun?

[Ejody]

Hi,

Not pretending to have any plumbing knowledge here so thanks for clear advice to a complete layman!
We have city water. All the sudden our pressure is lower and now when I turn on the water-- sink, shower, outdoor garden hose-- the water pressure quickly cycles up and down like a massage shower head.

Our home was built in 2003. No water softener filters or anything.

I do hear loud noise from what appears to be a pressure reducing valve in our garage.

(A) What could be causing this issue?

(B) Is it something I can fix myself (I have basic handyman skills, but no soldering or welding or cutting pipe)
(C) If it's beyond my skill level do I need to hire a full-on licensed plumber ($$)

Thanks for any quick replies!

P.S. Don't assume I know what any plumbing parts are called, abbreviations, etc.
I'm an expert on some things and this ain't one of them!

THANK YOU!

 

[Ejody]

No idea why this formatted so strangely and posted photos twice...

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

I would also look to your PRV. What is the brand and model info from the tag on the PRV? I am not a plumber.

 

[Ejody]

I would also look to your PRV. What is the brand and model info from the tag on the PRV? I am not a plumber.

Thank you. Photo attached here.

Watts Model DUS (?)

 

[Reach4]

You might look into the Watts N45B-SRK repair kit. I have no related experience.
Snip from http://media.wattswater.com/PL-RP-GP.pdf

 

[Ejody]

You might look into the Watts N45B-SRK repair kit. I have no related experience.
Snip from http://media.wattswater.com/PL-RP-GP.pdf
View attachment 31783

Thanks much... will look into it.

 

[hj]

I NEVER waste time trying to repair a PRV, unless it has a single cartridge that drops into the body.

 

[Sluggo]

My house was built in 2001 and I had the same problem as you a couple of years ago (as did my neighbor, whose house was built when mine was.) I ended up rebuilding the PRV. I was tempted to just replace the entire PRV, but the idiot who installed it ran the plumbing in a totally weird and almost inaccessible way that would have required real ingenuity in cutting out the old one and getting a new one soldered in. The refurbishing kits are pretty easy to install and, for your installation, it looks like you would have easy access. My PRV is a Watts and the kit came with clear instructions.
One other thing: you should consider replacing your hot water heater expansion tank, or plumbing in a new one, if you don't have one. A malfunctioning tank (or none at all) can also be a source of noises and pressure issues.