Choosing a PRV

ssgtjoenunez

So I've had this new house for about 4 months now. It is apparent that aside from the expansion tank on the hot water heater, the claim that the previous owner made of having a PRV installed are not in fact true. The water pressure is ungodly (haven't tested for specifics yet but its definitely high), particularly in the master bath.

I'm considering installing a PRV but have no idea how to choose the right one. At my last home (before I became an amateur plumber) I paid a company to install one that reduced pressure from 120 psi to just under 90.

I am considering doing so at the same time I install a water softener and filter seeing as how I'll have the main line cut open anyway. So my questions are these:

1) How do I select the right PRV?
2) Can a PRV get mounted inside the home where I plan on doing the plumbing set up for the water softener/filter?
3) Are PRV's adjustable and if so what is considered 'ideal' water pressure for a residential home?

And for good measure:
4) If I'm considering doing irrigation at a later time, is there an easy way to pre-plumb for that while doing the softener/filter prep?

Thanks in advance!

fetzer85

You can see a couple pics of a PRV if you look at the thread I started on the leaking TPR valve on my brand new water heater. I didn't even know about them 3 days ago lol.

The one I got at Lowes was about $25. My store only had 2 to choose from. The other one was $75 but is overkill for a house.

It is adjustable from 25-75psi by turning the bolt on the bottom. I think 50-60psi is considered ideal by most, although my wife is not happy after dropping from 100+psi down to 70. Not too bad to tackle from one amateur plumber to another.

joecaption

There sized acording to the pipe size.
Any more then 60 PSI I is hard on the plumbing and the flush valve in the toilet.
Read some of the old post about water hammer, toilet noises, leaking plumbing caused by the pressure being to high.

TheEplumber

Per UPC, the maximum house pressure is 80psi. So you want a PRV in that range. Although they come preset, most if not all have a method to set the pressure.
They are available with or without strainers- warranty is void without a strainer installed.
I would install a tee and valve on the street side of the PRV and filter for future irrigation.
Also, consider putting a pressure gauge on the house side of the PRV- maybe even both sides of it.

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ssgtjoenunez

I've got all the symptoms you describe. All three toilets have to be rebuilt because they run. Nearly every valve in the house leaks or drips at the faucet. The outside hose bibs drip too. Supposedly a PRV was installed a couple of years ago but I was at the main line over the weekend (turning off the water to replace leaking faucet valves) and never saw it.

In regards to future plans for irrigation, particularly in conjunction with softeners - is the common practice to cut and cap hose bibs after a house has had a softener installed and then use the new irrigation line to feed exterior (raw) hose bibs?

fetzer85

Our PRV is in our basement. Did you look in your basement / utility room?

ssgtjoenunez

I live in Texas and we don't have basements. Also - there isn't a single spot where the water comes into the house that is accessible from inside the home. The incoming water line is buried and goes into the foundation of the house somewhere.

fetzer85

Oh ok. In that case I would go to lowes/hd and get a pressure gauge like this one for $10-15 and see what you're actually at.

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jagans

My well is set to 40 lbs, and I think that is pretty standard. I really like the idea of more pressure, but 40 is adequate.

Joe has solved a lot of inquiries of problems from too much pressure, from failed ball cocks to screeching valves. I think you should not go over about 55 lbs. That should be more than enough.

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