Do we still need water pressure reducers?
My misadventures with the new Kodiak 279RBSL forced me to learn more about my camper's plumbing than I might like. What I did learn is that Dutchmen and others no longer use PVC and CPVC for piping. They use PEX which is a flexible, reinforced tubing used in the home building industry. PVC pipe came in different wall thicknesses. Residential housing normally required schedule 40, which could easily handle over 100psi of water pressure. As I understand it, the RV industry used a much lighter (thinner walled) piping that couldn't take high water pressure. Did I get this right?
PEX, as far as I know, is pretty standard. If crimped properly, it routinely handles the same sort of pressure as schedule 40. I find it hard to believe that the RV industry is using some sort of inferior PEX that has less ability to handle water pressure.
If this is the case, could it be that the need for pressure reducers has quietly gone away? One argument in support of this is that there were no warnings about excessive water pressure damaging the camper. My new camper was literally plastered with warnings about other stuff. The lawyers really got into the RV business!
I am using a pressure reducer because it seems to be the right thing to do. But now that I have spent some time thinking about this, I wonder if there is any definitive evidence that this is or isn't necessary. The Dutchmen manual hasn't changed in years, so any suggestions from it might not be correct any longer.
Any good information?
Bob
PEX, as far as I know, is pretty standard. If crimped properly, it routinely handles the same sort of pressure as schedule 40. I find it hard to believe that the RV industry is using some sort of inferior PEX that has less ability to handle water pressure.
If this is the case, could it be that the need for pressure reducers has quietly gone away? One argument in support of this is that there were no warnings about excessive water pressure damaging the camper. My new camper was literally plastered with warnings about other stuff. The lawyers really got into the RV business!
I am using a pressure reducer because it seems to be the right thing to do. But now that I have spent some time thinking about this, I wonder if there is any definitive evidence that this is or isn't necessary. The Dutchmen manual hasn't changed in years, so any suggestions from it might not be correct any longer.
Any good information?
Bob
