I've been in my house, which was built in 1960, for about 1 year and a half. Over that time I've experienced some leaky faucets and toilets, but nothing major. I noticed another leak a few days ago under the kitchen sink, so I called the plumber (again). He fixed the problem and checked the water pressure in the house. It was determined to be 90 lbs. He said that it should be no more than 65 lbs. and that I would continue to have problems (even more serious ones in the future) unless I put in a pressure reducing valve. This is expensive and I want to make sure his opinion is correect. Does anyone agree/disagree that I need to put in a pressure reducing valve? Or am I safe with the pressure at 90 lbs.? If it matters, I did learn that the water company is sending 100 lbs. of pressure to my house. Thanks!
COMMUNITY FORUM
I think you will have to install the valve. Soldered joints can usually handle this pressure, but with the age of the existing pipes the joints may be weak. Reducing valves are not expensive...I am looking at one now,...For 1" copper pipe for $58.44 Wholesale. This valve is suitable for inlet pressures of up to 300lbs and outlet pressure is adjustable from 25-75lbs....
It is not extremely high. Your pipes should hold with no problem. That said, lowering it down to 55 to 75 may save some stress on faucets and fittings which is where you are getting these nagging leaks and a little leak while on vacation could cause a lot of damage. If you are hiring a plumber to fix a faucet leak, then a prv will pay for itself in no time. If you water line is 1" or at least 3/4", then you should get enough volume to supply the average size house.
Some codes require the prv to be outside the house foundation which may be why you think it is expensive because of the digging. Some codes allow it inside. Go figure. What did he quote you?
Uniform plumbing code requires a pressure regulator if the water entering the house exceeds 80# (this is the high limit!!) Most residential regulators come from the factory pre-set at 55-60# which is considered (normal residential pressure) Most people think the more pressure the better.....not true. erik
Just FYI, the pressure reducing valves I have found contain a BIG warning that the valve contains parts which contain LEAD, a known carcinogen. When I asked, people told me that that valve is intended for outdoor irrigation systems only and not for indoor water that may be ingested. Anyway, if you find a PRV suitable for drinking water, I'd be very interested because I have not found one yet after searching for months in stores and online.
