Low pressure after replumbing bathroom

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Diane Kesling

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After turning off main water valve to house I have low flow and no pressure .replaced regulator, main shut off valve and bypassed check valve at the water meter. No help. I have a long run of 1500 ft 2 inch pipe that has worked fine for 12 years. I would appreciate any ideas .
 

Reach4

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Clarify.

What pressure do you have at the house with no water being used?

Where is this regulator that you replaced?

Where is the water meter -- 1500 ft from the house?

Do you have a spigot before the regulator? If not, add one so that you can measure the pressure before the regulator.
 

Tughillrzr

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Ok we’re all gonna probably need more info?regulator correct flow ( arrows)? I’m assuming since you have some water
Flow pressure before all before all this?
 

Diane Kesling

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Clarify.

What pressure do you have at the house with no water being used?

Where is this regulator that you replaced?

Where is the water meter -- 1500 ft from the house?

Do you have a spigot before the regulator? If not, add one so that you can measure the pressure before the regulator.
60 lb pressure at regulator with no water used. The water line t
After turning off main water valve to house I have low flow and no pressure .replaced regulator, main shut off valve and bypassed check valve at the water meter. No help. I have a long run of 1500 ft 2 inch pipe that has worked fine for 12 years. I would appreciate any ideas .
Clarify.

What pressure do you have at the house with no water being used?

Where is this regulator that you replaced?

Where is the water meter -- 1500 ft from the house?

Do you have a spigot before the regulator? If not, add one so that you can measure the pressure before the regulator.
Clarify.

What pressure do you have at the house with no water being used?

Where is this regulator that you replaced?

Where is the water meter -- 1500 ft from the house?

Do you have a spigot before the regulator? If not, add one so that you can measure the pressure before the regulator.
Clarify.

What pressure do you have at the house with no water being used?

Where is this regulator that you replaced?

Where is the water meter -- 1500 ft from the house?

Do you have a spigot before the regulator? If not, add one so that you can measure the pressure before the regulator.
There is 60 lbs of pressure at the regulstor under the house when no water is being used..drops off sharply when water is turned on in the house. The water meter is 1500 ft from the house. The regulator is under the house. The water line under the house goes to the main shut off valve and tee's off to a hose bib on one side and to the regulator on the other side. There is low flow at that hose bib although I have no way to measute the actual pressure. On Initial install of this water line we had to put a check valve in at the meter because the water was flowing back and forth through the main water meter causing us to pay for the same wster over and over. The meter at that time had a needle that you could see moving back and forth. The meter we have now is digital. I wanted to add that info to give you an idea of the quirks of my water set up. The pipe runs across 2 rolling type hills with a dip in the middle. The problem started when the house main was turned off to change bathroom fixtures.
 

Reach4

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There is low flow at that hose bib although I have no way to measute the actual pressure.
A garden hose thread (GHT) pressure gauge is under $20 and often a lot under. Note the pressure outside when you don't use water and when you do run water in the house. You can take a movie of the gauge as you run around turning on water inside, or you can get a helper to watch the gauge.

That is really good that you have such a hose bib that tees off before the PRV.
 

Diane Kesling

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A garden hose thread (GHT) pressure gauge is under $20 and often a lot under. Note the pressure outside when you don't use water and when you do run water in the house. You can take a movie of the gauge as you run around turning on water inside, or you can get a helper to watch the gauge.

That is really good that you have such a hose bib that tees off before the PRV.
I will get one of those and try it but on opening that spigot I get the same initial good flow and then a huge decrease as I get in the house. There is a gauge past the regulator that we can see is 60 lbs until we turn on on water then it plummets.
From what I've read this is a sign of blockage but I'm at a loss as to how turning the water off can cause a blockage in the line before it gets to the house unless it caused some kind of vapor lock. Is that possible?
 

Diane Kesling

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Is intake screen on regulator clean? Does seem unlikely but you never know
Yes it is and we've even replaced the regulator and the main house shut off valve( the old one was wide open) We bypassed the check valve cause we didn't have a new one ..nothing has helped
 

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Ok we’re all gonna probably need more info?regulator correct flow ( arrows)? I’m assuming since you have some water
Flow pressure before all before all this?
We had no noticeable pressure problems before this and the problem exists on a tap before the regulator.
 

Tughillrzr

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We had no noticeable pressure problems before this and the problem exists on a tap before the regulator.

you have city water? Have them test flow or make sure your turned on all the way at curb. It may be a possibility not on all the way. you said you have a shut off after meter you switched out. Water had to to be turned off before meter?
 

PlumbNuts

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If there is low flow at the hose bib that is immediatly after the shut-off but it is not regulated by the PRV then the issue is not the PRV.
There is a possibility that the shut-off valve has sediment obstructing it. You may have to shut off the meter and replace the main shut-off. You may even have an obstruction in the piping between the meter and the shut-off that could require using air pressure to blow out the line.
 

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you have city water? Have them test flow or make sure your turned on all the way at curb. It may be a possibility not on all the way. you said you have a shut off after meter you switched out. Water had to to be turned off before meter?
Yes it is city water. We didn't change out the meter. We changed out the regulator. We did call the water company. They said no leaks. If I'm reading this meter right one of the cycles it goes through says 6. 52 p with either a minus sign or some kind of vertical hash sign in front of it.
 

Diane Kesling

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If there is low flow at the hose bib that is immediatly after the shut-off but it is not regulated by the PRV then the issue is not the PRV.
There is a possibility that the shut-off valve has sediment obstructing it. You may have to shut off the meter and replace the main shut-off. You may even have an obstruction in the piping between the meter and the shut-off that could require using air pressure to blow out the line.
We did shut off the water at the meter and replace the main shut off valve. We have 1500 feet of 2 inch pipe. Can you use air pressure on that much line? As you can tell we are trying everything we can cause locating a plug in that much line is gonna be horrendous. I don't know any video camera lines that are that long.
 

Reach4

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We did shut off the water at the meter and replace the main shut off valve. We have 1500 feet of 2 inch pipe.
Order of things is what? --
a. old shut off at meter (fully on?)
b. old water meter.
c. 1500 feet of 2 inch pipe.
d. new shutoff valve near house (fully on?)
e. the old tee to the spigot that was around for a long time
f. new PRV.

Is that about right?
 

Diane Kesling

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Order of things is what? --
a. old shut off at meter (fully on?)
b. old water meter.
c. 1500 feet of 2 inch pipe.
d. new shutoff valve near house (fully on?)
e. the old tee to the spigot that was around for a long time
f. new PRV.

Is that about right?
Yes
 

Reach4

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So my prioritized suspicions are that (a) is not fully on, (d) is not fully on, or installation of (d) was improper, or (d) is defective.

Example of improper installation would be pulling poly pipe tight from a gentle curve to a kink.
 

PlumbNuts

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So my prioritized suspicions are that (a) is not fully on, (d) is not fully on, or installation of (d) was improper, or (d) is defective.

Example of improper installation would be pulling poly pipe tight from a gentle curve to a kink.

I have had instances where the city shut off the water to replace a meter and when the water was turned back on it could not reach the house.
There was a section of the pipe that had kinked where it entered the foundation. This was caused by the home settling. When the water was shut off the kinked area completely closed and could not reopen due to the pressure. It took me two days to figure this one out and another 1/2 day to repair it.
Sorry to say but it sounds like this may be your issue.
I know 1500' is a long way but you can start spot checking to narrow down the search area or just bite the bullet and replace the entire line.
 

Reach4

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I have had instances where the city shut off the water to replace a meter and when the water was turned back on it could not reach the house.
There was a section of the pipe that had kinked where it entered the foundation. This was caused by the home settling. When the water was shut off the kinked area completely closed and could not reopen due to the pressure. It took me two days to figure this one out and another 1/2 day to repair it.
Sorry to say but it sounds like this may be your issue.
I know 1500' is a long way but you can start spot checking to narrow down the search area or just bite the bullet and replace the entire line.
Interesting, and shocking. And it matches the symptoms.

A fish tape could be run from the new shutoff valve (either side) toward the meter far enough to be past the foundation, and check for that. How about a photo that includes
incoming pipe in the space
d. new shutoff valve
e. the old tee to the spigot that was around for a long time
f. new PRV.​

Teeing into the 2 inch pipe near the house, and installing a yard hydrant could be worth considering. It gives a great test point for pressure, plus gives you a yard hydrant.
 

Tughillrzr

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So my prioritized suspicions are that (a) is not fully on, (d) is not fully on, or installation of (d) was improper, or (d) is defective.

Example of improper installation would be pulling poly pipe tight from a gentle curve to a kink.
Interesting, and shocking. And it matches the symptoms.

A fish tape could be run from the new shutoff valve (either side) toward the meter far enough to be past the foundation, and check for that. How about a photo that includes
incoming pipe in the space
d. new shutoff valve
e. the old tee to the spigot that was around for a long time
f. new PRV.​

Teeing into the 2 inch pipe near the house, and installing a yard hydrant could be worth considering. It gives a great test point for pressure, plus gives you a yard hydrant.

I’d hope it’s at least 200 psi pipe and not the cheap stuff. Especially 1500’ of it. 2” pipe is pretty strong stuff. Is there a sleeve around water line that enters building?
I’d still have water company check meter and flow and valves.
 
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