How To Fix A Water Pressure Regulator – Water pressure regulators — also known as pressure reducing valves — play an important role in residential plumbing systems. As the name suggests, they control the force of water flowing through pipes, creating a strong or weak flow.
However, if the water pressure in your home is too high or too low, you may need to adjust it manually. It’s also a smart idea to do this before winter is over to prepare for the heavy rains that spring brings.
How To Fix A Water Pressure Regulator
With this in mind, read on to learn more about them and the steps involved in adjusting a pressure reducing valve. Let’s get started!
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A water pressure regulator is a special type of valve designed to ensure controlled flow from municipal water supplies in pipes.
Therefore, most water pressure regulators have a screw on top that can be adjusted to increase the tension of the built-in spring or loosened to allow water to flow freely. We’ll talk more about this when we get into the steps of regulating stress!
Now, let’s look at how to adjust the water pressure regulator yourself – a water pressure regulator isn’t much use if it’s not set up properly!
The good news is that adjusting a pressure reducing valve is easy and can usually be done as a DIY job in less than an hour.
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The first step is to assess your home’s current water pressure, as you should know what’s going on before making adjustments. The easiest way is to connect a pressure gauge to any hose spigot and observe the reading.
Next, you need to find the water pressure regulator. This is a bell-shaped device located near the main water supply, at the top of the pipe.
There should be an adjusting screw and locking nut on the top of the adjuster. The former raises or lowers water pressure, but the locking nut must be loosened before adjusting. Turn the wrench counterclockwise to loosen the nut. But be careful not to turn it too far.
Now, place the wrench on the top nut of the adjustment screw and turn accordingly. Turning counterclockwise will decrease the pressure, while turning it clockwise will increase the pressure. The water pressure gauge will indicate changes in PSI.
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Once the desired pressure is achieved, screw the locking nut back into its original position in reverse order. This will ensure it stays in place!
While adjusting a pressure reducing valve is easy, there are always risks with DIY work, especially when it comes to plumbing. So, to avoid a costly accident, consider contacting a professional plumber from .
With over 60 years of plumbing experience, you can rest assured that we know a thing or two about adjusting pressure reducing valves. We’ll work quickly and efficiently to ensure your water pressure is set to the pressure you need, keeping your pipes safe year-round. A water pressure regulator (pressure reducing valve or PRV) is a control valve that reduces water pressure to a safe level in your home. If the pressure regulator valve isn’t working properly, too much water pressure can cause leaks in bathroom, sink faucets, or washing machine hose connections since they are designed to operate at around 50psi.
A failed water pressure regulator should be replaced as soon as possible, or that’s what I would say – fixed as soon as possible.
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This is one of the major brands and models on the market. On the hardware store’s website, looking at the reviews for this model, there were several reviews reporting leak pressure after 2 or 3 years, which is the same issue as mine. When there is no water flow, home water pressure will gradually rise, eventually rising to city water pressure. This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered this problem. I also had this problem with my previous regulator. I replaced the second one with the same model as it was easier to install the same size. But now, the same problem arises with the second one. I don’t want to change it a third time. I decided to try to fix it. I figured if I could fix it myself, things would be under control, otherwise, I might need to get a new regulator every few years.
In the next steps, I want to share how I repaired my water pressure regulator valve last week. Hope this helps anyone with the same valve issue.
A water pressure regulator controls water via a spring and diaphragm, which create resistance and reduce the pressure to a safe level.
My regulator problem occurs with no flow. I want to understand how it works without process. Finally I found a picture on the brand’s website.
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As shown in the figure, when there is no flow of water, the water pressure in the home increases, counteracting the force of the spring, and the valve closes.
From this graph, it can be easily estimated – if the valve is not closed properly, the pressure in the home will be equal to the pressure in the city. It’s just a problem with my regulator.
No need to remove the valve from the water pipe. Since the valve in the corner is difficult to photograph, I took a photo with the old valve to show how to remove it.
I left the adjusting bolt untouched as it has nothing to do with proper closing of the valve. Filters have nothing to do with this either. No work is required on the diaphragm, which remains on the valve stem.
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There are two rubber parts that are important for closing the valve. One is the O-ring on the stem and the other is the seal on the plunger.
Remove and inspect the valve stem. Apparently the o-ring was worn. Considering that such a small O-ring has been moved against the bore wall thousands of times over the years, it’s no surprise that it is worn. Water pressure is leaking from a worn O-ring. It must be replaced. The other rubber part – the sealing ring looks ok and can be used once flipped over.
I have to say there is a repair kit online but the price is almost as high as a new regulator. I don’t like it.
After some research online, I found this regulator parts list online. The O-ring part number is 113N. Checked online again and the dimensions of the O-ring 113 are 3/4″ x 9/16″ x 3/32″. Regarding that “N”, I guessed it was “Neoprene”. Anyway, with this information, I Found an O-ring at the hardware store, it was a #11 O-ring 3/4” O.D. x 9/16” ID x 3/32”, the same as the worn O-ring. Price is $2.57 for a 10-pack.
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I can’t find the sealing ring online or in a store. But the wear is not serious and can be turned over and used backwards.
Turn over the sealing ring and screw the plunger into the stem assembly, don’t forget the gasket. Since water pressure can loosen the plunger, the tip won’t be too tight. Also, do not overtighten the plunger to avoid damaging the threaded end of the plunger.
After replacing the rubber parts, the regulator looks normal. But two hours later, I found the stress rising again to that of the city. A little slower than before. But that means there’s still a leak somewhere.
But eventually I figured out the problem was with the brass rod, not the rubber piece. There are cracks in the brass on the surface of the stem that contacts the O-ring. It acts like a small hole between the stem and O-ring, leaking pressure to the main side.
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Fortunately, the crack is not too deep. I used a needle file to file away this crack until the surface was smooth.
I reassembled the regulator. This time it worked very well. The pressure now remains around 50 psi. High-pressure water entering your home can damage your pipes and fixtures. Over time, the increased pressure on the system can cause leaks or burst pipes. Therefore, it is crucial to know the location of your water pressure regulator.
Being able to answer the question “Where is my water pressure regulator?” may determine whether additional damage is caused when a pressure problem occurs.
This guide is designed to help you understand what a water pressure regulator does, how to find it, and what it means for the health of your plumbing system.
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The standard residential water pressure regulator location is usually located on the outside of your home, next to the main water supply shutoff valve. If you’re familiar with shutoff valves, you should have no problem solving the question “Where is my water pressure regulator?”
If you’re not sure where to look, we can help. Let’s first discuss in detail what a water pressure regulator does.
The water pressure regulator is part of the plumbing system. A water pressure regulator or pressure reducing valve is installed on the inlet water supply line to