Short on hot water but increased water pressure...related ???

[Tilicke21]

Hello,
In the last couple days we have increased water pressure almost to the point it's uncomfortable but also run out of hot water quickly.

I did replace the kitchen faucet last week & a valve to the washing machine shut off...not sure it has anything to do with it but wanted to mention it.
There was also a house fire a couple doors down that had very rusty water coming through the pipes for a short bit one day last week.

I've lived in the house 16 years with no major plumbing work being done. The house is 100 years old and I don't have any of the history prior to me.

I've read some threads saying a possible PRV failure could cause the increased pressure but it's just odd that we're also short on hot water.
It's not anyone taking long showers or many of us taking them 1 after the other either. It just runs out quickly, typically 10-12 min.
Could the PRV be the problem all together ?
I'm no plumber but fearless enough to get into trouble...is this something I can tackle or is this a call to the plumber for sure ?

Any help is greatly appreciated !!!

 

[Jadnashua]

The super high flow when a fire hydrant is opened up will scour the insides of the pipes and release built-up crud, so that could explain the dirty water. After awhile, a coating builds up, and the water clears up. That big release of crud could have contaminated the seals on a PRV, and prevented it from working. Depending on the size of the WH, and the showerhead you have, that could exhaust a smaller WH in 12-minutes. Combine that with middle of the winter cold water temps, and your WH doesn't have the same volume of delivered hot water as it does in the summer. If the pressure is higher, the volume will increase somewhat as well. The check for a PRV is fairly easy...buy a pressure gauge, and look! They cost about $10. Get one with a second, tattle-tale hand that shows peak pressure, and leave it connected for 24-hours. If the static pressure is high, or it creeps up, the PRV and/or the expansion tank are probably bad.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

If the pressure is higher, your shower could be using more water which would explain the heater running out sooner.