Remove PRV and Connect Straight Pipe

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Tintin

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I have PRV that was installed, but is unnecessary and I need to take it out and connect my shutoff to PEX. The water pressure from the street was at 52 psi and it was installed anyway making my system closed. I want remove the PRV and open the system back up. My question is, how is this PRV connected at bottom? How is the connection made inside the threaded opening of PRV at the bottom? If I remove this, can I keep the shutoff as is and connect PEX to the PEX that's above? Thank you!
 
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Reach4

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With a photo, we would understand "bottom".

Removing the PRV may not remove the need for a thermal expansion tank. There may be a check valve at the water meter, and in that case the system is still closed.
 

Tintin

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Oh yes, sorry, I thought it was uploaded in the first message. I talked with the senior plumbing inspector and he said that you don't need an expansion tank unless you have closed system by installing a PRV and I would be very surprised if the city installed check valves on the all the house water meters in the city of Portland at the street and he didn't tell me. My home and my neighbors had the same pressure from the street which is about 50 psi and the system that has been installed for years and years has never had an expansion tank and there's never been an issue.

The only connection I don't understand is on the bottom of the PRV and wondering if I take this out will I have to replace the shutoff as well, or can I connect PEX to whatever fitting is right after the shutoff. The water from the street is entering from the bottom and going up.
IMG_0300.JPG
 

Jadnashua

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Because of the possibility of someone back flowing polluted water to the utility, many places are installing check valves as they upgrade their systems. As a result, you could end up with a closed system and not necessarily know it some time in the future. This is why some places require an ET, even without a current closed system.

If you've had a PRV installed, and not run into problems with thermal expansion related leaks (say from the T&P valve), the PRV you have installed might have a bypass valve in it. Otherwise, something is leaking in the house when the WH runs after use, to restore the temperature of the water...pipes aren't elastic...that expanding water has to go somewhere.
 

Tintin

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The bottom of the PRV is female threading, the top is by union.
Great, thank you Terry, so I should be able to work from the top down disconnecting the PRV and then connect pex from the shut off valve to pex above, right?
 

Tintin

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Because of the possibility of someone back flowing polluted water to the utility, many places are installing check valves as they upgrade their systems. As a result, you could end up with a closed system and not necessarily know it some time in the future. This is why some places require an ET, even without a current closed system.

If you've had a PRV installed, and not run into problems with thermal expansion related leaks (say from the T&P valve), the PRV you have installed might have a bypass valve in it. Otherwise, something is leaking in the house when the WH runs after use, to restore the temperature of the water...pipes aren't elastic...that expanding water has to go somewhere.

The PRV was installed a year ago by someone who said it needed to be installed for code even though my psi was at 52 (and code says only psi above 80 needs it). It's now at 48. Yes, this PRV has a check valve bypass allowing for thermal expansion, so it not really doing anything or needed--all it's doing is making my okay pressure a little less okay. What it does do though is make me have to put an expansion tank on my HW heater the accessory dwelling unit I'm building in my backyard, because code now says I have a "closed system". I want to remove the PRV so when I get finalized for the ADU they don't require me to have an expansion tank on the new HW heater in there. And I checked with the city and they said, there's no backflow prevention assembly, or PRV in my right of way and it's an open system to my house (the ADU water line is tying into the main house).
 

Reach4

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Is that a Zurn NR3 something? What is the whole number?
 

Reach4

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NR3XL Pressure Reducing Valve with Integral Bypass Check Valve and Strainer, 3/4", Lead Free
I was hoping I could find some kind of bypass cartridge for it.

To remove that, I see taking out a bit of PEX by removing some stainless rings. Maybe just the one short middle piece going vertically. I hope some body has a good suggestion along those lines.

The stainless clamps seem to be the easiest to remove of the PEX fitting attachers.
 

Cacher_Chick

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If you take apart the union, the PEX piping can be pushed out of the way enough the unscrew the PRV. The nipple in the top of the shut-off might come out with the PRV, but that would not be an issue.
 
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