I am the first owner of a 3-year-old townhouse in a 31-unit condominium
complex with a single water meter at the street. Periodically, I am
plagued by leaks in the area of the kitchen sink. I will come back from a
vacation or wake up in the morning and find a large quantity of water on my
kitchen floor. One time it will be coming from the faucet area, another
from the water line under the sink, and another from I don't know where.
I'll tighter a connection, or call a plumber, and it might go away for a
while (even several months). Also, I can do nothing at all, and it will go
away for a while. Then all of a sudden, it's back -- not a tiny leak, but
a major problem that gets the entire area under the sink wet, or (after I
sealed the area behind the faucet)that flows across the counter top and
down onto the floor. The flow can be as much as a quart a day, tapering
off over several days to a tiny drip.
The plumber who came out in May 2007 wrote "Was called out about leak under
kitchen sink. Found a slight leak from base of faucet but could not be the
source for the amount of water owner described. Reset faucet in puddy.
Looked outside -- believe leak to be siding or roof leak." While he was
here, he installed a filter on the water line under the sink that goes to
the refrigerator/ice maker.
I had no problems during the summer. In the fall, I had a leak where the
plumber had installed the filter, but was able to tighten the connection
myself, and that seemed to do it. The next time there was water under the
sink, I turned off the water line going to the refrigerator, and haven't
turned it back on.
Then on Thursday I had another flood, flowing across the top of the counter
and down onto the floor. I mopped it up, and was able to see that it was
coming from a leak near the base of the faucet. Right now, it's completely
dry. I have a handyman coming over tomorrow to fix that.
I seem to be having a lot of plumbing issues, for living in a new building.
All of the problems have been in the kitchen, in the area of the sink.
I'm starting to wonder if part of the problem is variable pressure in the
lines coming into my unit, and if so, what I might be able to do about it.
The problems this fall started the week after the City did system-wide
pressure-testing. Could that have triggered it?
Installing a Pressure Reducing Valve
Summary: If installing a pressure reducing valve to reduce water hammer, there are several things to keep in mind. Pressure reducing valves can also go bad, and you need to watch that your inside house pressure is not reduced by the pressure reducing valves you add.
Installing a Pressure Reducing Valve
The first thing you have to realize when installing a pressure reducing valve is that these dudes can and do go bad. Replacing a bad valve can be a nightmare if you do not have valves on either side of the pressure valve. These isolation valves allow you to shut off the water easily AND they prevent the water from the house side of the system from draining out. This minimizes the amount of troublesome air that has to be bled from the lines after you install the valve.
Maintaining High Pressure
There may be certain places in your house where you want high pressure. Hoses are a common location. If you install a pressure reducing valve BEFORE the hose bib branches, you will lose your wonderful high pressure.
Take the time necessary to install the extra piping on the high pressure side of your water service line to allow you to keep high pressure at certain fixtures.
Unions at the Valve
Unions are simple threaded compression type fittings that allow you to quickly remove a valve, meter or other fixture from a piping system. They can be purchased where they sweat onto a piping system or they thread onto the pipe. A draw nut at the center of the union draws the two separate pipes together for a leak free joint. They are inexpensive and very easy to install. You will have no trouble with these!
A Pressure Gauge
How will you know what pressure you have after your new valve is installed? The easy way to tell is to purchase a pressure gauge that is permanently attached to the piping system. In actuality, you should have one that is on the high pressure and the low pressure side of the new valve. These simple gauges just thread into a simple tee fitting that you sweat into the water supply piping. You will need to purchase the necessary reducing fittings as many of these gauges have 1/4 or 3/8 inch male threads. The gauges are the only way you will be able to accurately adjust the water pressure.
The Right Pressure
What is the best inside pressure for your house? Well, you will have to determine that for yourself. I happen to prefer water pressure at or near 70 PSI. The model plumbing codes state that 80 PSI or greater is too high. Stay at or below 70 PSI and you will be just fine.
I would not recommend that you drop below 40 or 50 PSI in any instance. You will notice wimpy showers and extended fill times with baths at these lower pressures. Avoid water pressure that hovers at or near 40 PSI. I consider this pressure to be minimal and it actually borders on the nuisance level.
Adjusting Pressure
Pressure valves have a screw on the top of the valve. These allow you to adjust the pressure either higher or lower. You have to follow the valve instructions to see which way to turn the screw for higher or lower pressures. Remember, call a licensed plumber if you are in doubt or are not permitted to alter or extend your water lines. Some states - such as Massachusetts - are VERY restrictive!
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Comments:
Elaine Taylor 10 Dec 2007, 06:59
AsktheBuilder 10 Dec 2007, 07:46
Elaine,
It is highly doubtful in my opinion. I think you need to bring in a *real* plumber. I am a licensed master plumber, but can't come to your house now. Contact your local Master Plumbers Association and get two opinions.
JB 27 Jan 2008, 17:18
My house was built in '78. When we moved in we noticed that the water
pressure is fine at faucets until you turn another faucet on, then it drops
way down. I started digging to find a prv, and I've followed the pipe to
about 3 feet from the owner shutoff valve, which is about 6 inches from the
city manhole in my front yard. Still nothing. I was hoping to find a prv so
I could increase the pressure. Where would it be if it exists? On another
issue -- while turning the owner shutoff to make sure that it is open all
the way, I noticed that the knob is very loose and no matter how much I
turn it, I can't tighten it. There also seems to be a slight leak around
the knob. Any advice on these issues?
AsktheBuilder 27 Jan 2008, 18:01
JB,
Ask neighbors if they have issues. Then call in the Water Works folks to see what they say.
JB 02 Feb 2008, 20:23
I already had asked my neighbor. His pressure was good. I had the city
water dept. come out and they showed me that the pressure to the house was
good. The fact that the owner shutoff value would not turn off was the key.
The city guy told me to replace it. It wasn't hard to do. When I got it off
it was 99 percent closed. I put the new one on and all is great! The
previous owner must have been trying to turn his water back on when the
valve broke, but since he still had some water, he didn't bother fixing it.
Leo T. Fredricks 15 Mar 2008, 19:31
My pressure valve is leaking some, the one that comes in from the street
in my basement, is this normal??
AsktheBuilder 15 Mar 2008, 21:04
Leo,
No.
Adam 25 Mar 2008, 13:07
I have a question about measuring water pressure. "The model plumbing
codes state that 80 PSI or greater is too high. Stay at or below 70 PSI and
you will be just fine." I've taken readings from my hose bib with all
water outlets turned off and with a sink turned on. Which is the proper
way to measure water pressure?
My "idle" pressure (with all sinks closed, etc.) is at about 95 psi. I'm pretty sure this is too high. When I turn on a sink, the meter reads about 40 psi. Thanks!!
AsktheBuilder 25 Mar 2008, 14:01
Adam,
The reading is taken with no fixtures on.
Maurie 25 Mar 2008, 21:41
I need to replace the pressure reducing valve (PS 50) on the inlet side of
the hot water cylinder. Does the inlet of the cylinder have a check valve?
(Dux 250F1 36) Thanks.
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