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Old 12-23-2015, 09:16 AM
 
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I had the municipal water people come out to my house because I've been having problems with low water pressure. Turns out that my water pressure is 90psi which is too high and 30 if I run two facets at the same time. The water man told me it sounds like my water pressure regulator is going bad.

I called the plumber and he's coming out next week to fix it. But here's my question. Should I shut off the water at the main shut off valve when I'm not home? I found the pressure regulator and the main shut off to the house is between it and where the main water line comes into the house. My thought is doing so will reduce pressure on my fixtures and such until it's fixed and lessen the chance something is damaged by the high pressure. Or am I wrong in thinking this and I'm just creating a headache for myself turning the main water on and off?

Thanks!
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Old 12-23-2015, 09:20 AM
 
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90 is high, but not too crazy. Just wait for the plumber. Water pressure regulators go bad all the time. They recommend you replace them every 10 years. But some could go bad in 2 years if the water has a bunch of crap in it and it goes into the valve. Typically a water line break would cause dirt to get into the line.
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Old 12-23-2015, 09:41 AM
QIS
 
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How old is your house? Did you or someone you trust try to adjust or clean the regulator? They have a strainer inside that can get partially clogged.
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Old 12-23-2015, 10:01 AM
 
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How to Clean a Plumbing Pressure Regulator
by Dale Yalanovsky, Demand Media

How to Clean a Plumbing Pressure Regulator | Home Guides | SF Gate
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Old 12-23-2015, 10:02 AM
 
1,915 posts, read 1,468,563 times
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The house was built in 1985. I worry about the water line because so many of my neighbors had them break. I'd say every year someone's breaks. It happened to my next door neihbor and we had to run a hose from my house to theirs so they could have water to flush toilets while it was fixed. Luckily we live in town houses so it wasn't too far to run a hose. It's the material the pipes are made out of. But I found insurance for it through my utility company.

I have not tried to adjust the regulator. I'll tackle minor plumbing problems like replacing the guts in a toilet or replacing a facet. But once I get to the guts of the plumbing I tend to leave it for the professionals. I don't know how to get to a strainer in the regulator or even know where one could be. I'd probably need special tools too. I could ask my boyfriend to look at it. He's comfortable fixing pipes and such.
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Old 12-23-2015, 10:43 AM
 
Location: WA
5,640 posts, read 24,860,182 times
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90 is high (basically main pressure) but because you have valves in the house that will hold the only real issue may be the pressure relief valve on your water heater that may start leaking, and maybe a toilet valve, so I would leave the water on.

I recently spent a day out in the rain and mud to replace the pressure regulator at by house after issues as pressure was 85. After replacement I took apart the old regulator (16 years) and found it was clean and apparently just had weak spring. My theory is that it was adjusted years ago to get 70 and as the pressure in the main was increased and varied the regulator was not up to the job.

The new regulator was $85 and took hours in the rain to find and replace since the meter is less than a foot deep but code says service to the house must be a minimum of 18" deep so all is buried. It comes preset to 55 but I adjusted it to 65 and now all is well.
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