For anyone who don't know, this is a very important video so pay attention! :) Our water heater busted weeks ago and it was due to the water pressure being in the 90s! It was a painful repair and costly too! Great video!
@waynv1835 No, shutting a valve partially would reduce the flow, but not the pressure. The pressure reducing valve uses a diaphragm and spring to reduce the amount of pressure in the rest of the system.
For those who do not know. On the gauge there's a black line and red. The black is the water pressure measurement, the red is the water pressure shock gauge measurement. That's the pressure that causes water hammer or the knocking pipe noises. Be sure you're set within safe limits of both
Awesome John, glad it was helpful. 60-80 psi is the recommended water pressure but honestly our's was around 95!! This makes for a great shower but might not be the greatest thing for appliances. Thus, the video showing you how to lower the water pressure :)
Thank you for this. My pressure started dropping for no reason. The lock nut was loose and I assume that allowed the bolt to work its way upward. Now my sprinkler is reaching the whole garden again!
in the video, after he adjusted the PRV, you show the pressure. Is that static pressure or pressure with valve or water feature inside the home open? I assume you are setting static pressure?
It's preferable to get your water pressure down to 60-80 PSI. Of course you'll notice it at first but at least you'll preserve your home's water lines. Water pressure regulators do go bad, so you may want to see if adjusting it works and if it doesn't then replace it. Hope this helps Debbie.
Thanks for video! So Left = Counter-Clockwise and Right=Clockwise. Really regardless will test before and after adjust using pressure gauge so no chance of error.
You'll need to release the pressure to get a new reading. Ie, if you simply turn down the regulator the lines are still pressurized at the old level. Open a tap for a second, close, then watch your meter show new pressure.
I got quoted $1,500 dollars from one guy to adjust my water pressure and then I got a second quote from someone else and he quoted me $400. I told both of them to go to hell it can't be that hard to adjust the pressure! Doing my own research to see if I can do it myself and boy I'm glad I am because this doesn't look difficult at all!
It’s easy assuming your line already has a pressure regulator installed. Those price quotes lead me to believe you do not. In that case, most of the cost will go toward installing a regulator.
The price of $140 to $175 includes labor and the new WPR. I wish I lived in Southern CA and could recommend someone. Unfortunately I'm here in Pittsburgh, PA. :( If you don't have a good plumber yet you could ask some friends or join Angie's List for $49. It might be worth it to join, I've found some great contractors this way despite what others say.
When you are using the ratchet and socket to turn to the left to reduce the pressure; are you turning the nut or the bolt? Or both? Then tightening the nut only to keep in place.
Thanks for your quick response! I had one salesman tell me they didn't exist. I assured them they did. My local store did not have them. I live in a remote area (Minong, Wi.) so someday when I go to a larger town I will look. One other question, why do I need to shut the water main off to do this?
You don't need to shutoff the water main to test the water pressure Popeye . Hope you find a gauge next time you're in town. You can always buy one via Amazon, too. The shipping shouldn't be all that bad - it's fairly light :)
This might indicate that your WPR is bad and you'll have to replace it. Our plumbers charge $140-$175 for this job. Hope this helps a bit with your issue.
Recently we started hearing a loud humming noise when using the shower that would stop if someone turned in the sink faucet at the same time. I am assuming that means the pressure is too high? I adjusted the pressure valve left 1/4 turn to see If that helps. I will have to go purchase a water pressure meter to put on the nozzle. Thoughts?
The only way to know docroot1 is to test the water pressure with a water pressure meter. If the pressure is over 80 psi then you may need a water pressure regulator. Let me know how it goes.
My water pressure is 110 PSI, Should I decrease the pressure to 80 PSI. Another problem I have, there is a knocking noise at the lower pressure. Does water pressure regulators ever wear out.
Is the water pressure indoors and on the outside spigot usually controlled by the same regulator? Or do I need to call the city to ask about the external ones? It’s like 105 psi…
Usually that front spigot is before the reducing valve so it will read High because there's no reducer but after that the reducer is like the first thing people usually put on so yes that first outside spicket can be high pressure compared to the whole rest of the house because of that spigot being before the pressure reducing valve
Hi Jeff, I live in a Apartment. My Slumlord has turned down the water pressure in my kitchen sink only on the hot water. The hot water in every other sink and shower in the building and apt works just fine. We can urinate harder than the water comes out. How do i turn the pressure back up my self? doing dishes is just easier in the bathroom now....
Hey Garrett, thanks for your question. I'm wondering if they did some work on your sink and forgot to turn the shutoff valve the whole way to ON. Turn the shutoff valve handle the entire way to the left or counterclockwise. Maybe this will solve your problem. Hope it helps but let me know the outcome
our water pipes in the house always explode because the pressure is too high when all faucets are closed. what do we need to avoid this? Pressure Regulator or Pressure Relief Valve?
What is the device to the left of the pressure regulator, seen at 0:55? Looks like a Y-fitting with the side port capped. I have one of these Y-fitting devices upstream of my pressure regulator. In this video, that device is downstream of the pressure regulator.
you turn the wrench to the right (counter clockwise) to turn the nut left. Turning the nut left reduces pressure, turning it right (clockwise) increases pressure.
Hi. I have turned off the main water shut off in the basement to replace a Shark Bite fitting that wont shut off anymore. I have released the water pressure all through the house and in the sink and shower of the en suite where I am working but water keeps coming out of the water supply for the toilet. It wont stop. There is no water in the toilet tank so its not coming from there. Never seen this before. When you shut off the mains and relieve the pressure in the system water should not be coming from a supply line ? Any ideas ? Thanks
When testing water pressure I'm doing it with no water running inside the house and the reading goes up like crazy over 100 psi. But when I open a faucet, it goes down to 25 psi. My question is which one is the one I use to measure.
Hi there. My PRV does not have a nut on top but does have the two nuts on the bottom, How do I get to reduce or increase the pressure? Can I put another nut on top, if so, how would I do that?
The way i was showed was you take the wrench and loosen up the bottom nut righty tighty, lefty lucy. The Top bolt is suppose to go towards the right to increase or towards the left to decrease the water pressure, then you tighten the bottom nut again to lock that top bolt into place! MMM ???? Just watched another one that says you can just the bolt on top to increase to the right and decrease it towards the left by a quarter turn then check your water pressure, also make sure no one is using the water at home too. FYI you can also buy those water pressure faucet testers that you put on your outside spigot to see how much water pressure you're getting. There should be a tag of some sort saying the range of Pressure that you can use for your pipes! between 35 and 85! FYI :)
Can a faulty pressure regulator make it sound like there's water running in the wall and make the water meter register a false leak? I hear a faint sound of water running in the walls, but absolutely ZERO signs of a leak in the wall or under the concrete slab. No water stains or mold anywhere in the house, attic or around the house outside. Also, no muddy areas or overgrown patches of grass in the yard. I had my HVAC guy come by and he punched a few holes in the walls where the sound was loudest and everything is bone dry and dusty. We're stumped. The water pressure regulator (that bell thing in the video) is located with the water meter access, not near my home. I want to know if maybe it's on the city's side that is registering false meter readings like a faulty water pressure regulator or meter before I start shelling out hundreds of dollars for a leak detection crew. I already did all of the normal tests like shutting off all the water supply valves, checking the flappers of the toilets, etc...
You got it Thomas Parker - this was one of my first videos and I was still getting the hang of it. Most of the new ones use clockwise or counterclockwise.
Michael D It depends how you are looking at it which is relative. Hence right or left becomes relative whereas clockwise is objective thus the appropriate expression to be 100% sure.
So, Expansion tank failed, a while ago. Capped it off until I could replace it. Little did I know months would go by before I got back to this project. I know, not good, but I'm getting to it now. When checking the static pressure of the water system to determine the proper pre-pressurization of the expansion tank, my static water pressure reads almost 100psi. W/ water turned on, 50psi. Turned regulator counter clockwise, "water on" pressure dropped below 50psi, but when shut off, static pressure built to 100psi again. Turned regulator clockwise, "water on" pressure rose as it should, but no matter how much I adjusted either way, static pressure would climb to 100PSI again. I suspect my pressure regulator might be bad. My Town water pressure varies between 60psi at high elevations to 160psi at lower elevations (as published in the Town Water Department Website). I have a Watts Regulator -"N35B" - Size "3/4" - Model "US" - Set "STD 50" Range "25 - 75". Thoughts?
Hi Steven - I have the same N35B 3/4" PRV and I'm seeing my static water pressure at 85-90psi - So wondering how do you determine if the Pressure Regulating Valve(PRV) is good or bad? Also I have a thermal expansion tank and I filled air to set it close to 80/ 85 PSI - not sure if my thermal expansion tank-Proflo brand might be bad?
Sorry for the Shilpa Acharya for the delay. The water pressure regulator is generally located where your water main is. For example, our water main comes into the house in the basement and the water pressure regulator is located right after it. Hope this helps
Could someone help? I have a shower that randomly produces no pressure at all and I do have a pressure regulator like the one in the video. However, it is really painted over and I cannot turn the bolt without using a heavy amount of torque. Any advice out there? I just don't want to ruin the thing
Hey Kevin Roberts - how old is your shower's mixing valve? I know this is a hard question to answer but if the mixing valve is bad you might have to replace it or at the very least swap out the cartridge if you have a single handle faucet. Do you get good water pressure everywhere else in your home?
The shower is actually brand new. The owner had it installed before we moved in and pressure seems pretty good throughout the rest of the house. The owner lived here by herself and probably just never noticed because she didn't use both bathrooms
Well it does sound like a pressure regulator problem. If the regulator is older and you suspect it needs to be replaced it not's a bad idea to do that. You probably already did this but try to get as much of the paint off as possible and hopefully that reduces the amount of torque needed to turn the screw.
Really. ? That's just labor. Do you have anyone in Southern Ca? My WPR doesn't regulate anything. And the shutoff for the house doesn't move. So I am in a world of hurt
