Why we recommend Pressure Reducing Valves (PRV) in every home, and how they help address high/low water pressure
Overview
Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs), are one of the easiest and most cost effective tools you can use to prolong the life of your plumbing system and save money. This is especially important for older homes where the pipes may be past their life expectancy, for homes with the brittle yellowish plastic water lines called CPVC, or where copper lines are exposed to the cold. Symptoms of high water pressure can be dripping faucets, rattling pipes or gurgling in the toilet tank. Plumbing repairs can be messy and expensive, so the best strategy is to avoid them when possible. This is a great example where an ounce of prevention is TRULY worth a pound of cure!
Water Pressure
Water needs pressure to flow into your home, but the meter doesn’t regulate that pressure for you. Your water fixtures and appliances, like your water heater, are rated for a general water pressure of 60-80psi. However, some meters are steadily bringing in water at upwards of 100-135psi around the Upstate. This is wearing out your system faster than it should! High water pressure breaks down your pipe joints, the water heater, faucet stems, and shower cartridges, in addition to the shut offs under your sinks and toilets–essentially, everything in your home. The image below is a water pressure reading we took at a customer’s home- their pressure was at about 133psi!
Pipe Freezing & Bursting
Not to sound doom and gloom, but these cold winter freezes aren’t going anywhere. We experienced more customer calls last winter about frozen and burst pipes than any other years in business. Having a PRV doesn’t mean you will completely avoid that, but reducing unnecessary water expansion and pressure in your pipes definitely reduces the likelihood.
Lower Your Water Bill
The higher your pressure, the faster water is coming into your house and going down the drain. When it comes in too fast, more is being wasted while you turn on the faucets to do dishes, take a shower, or maybe wash the dog. A PRV helps cut down your water bill!
Details
Pressure Reducing Valves are pretty neat in their simplicity. This is a great illustration of the inside of a valve! We prefer to use the Watts PRV, but there are many good models on the market. If you like to nerd out about plumbing like we do, Liberty Supply out of Minnesota has an informative article you could read for a deeper dive into different valves.
So, What Next?
Call Sterling Craft Plumbing & Bath in the office at (864) 810-1010 today. If you prefer, you can fill out a form on our Contact Page and we will reach out to you. However you prefer to get in touch, we can schedule an appointment to check out your water pressure!