Proper Spot for Water Pressure Regulator

[grumpy2day]

Where is the best place to put the water pressure regulator? At the rv park spigot or at the rv fresh water inlet.

[ctilsie242]

Here in Texas, especially Austin, an anti-siphon valve is a code requirement. Water is not going back into the lines in those cases.

I keep a few two way and four way wye connectors with me. I use a two way wye connector, then have my regulator on that, a short length of hose, and a Camco filter. That way, the filter is on the ground and not adding stress to the spigot. If I am using city water, I use a 90 degree bend to minimize torque on the el cheapo plastic fitting on my rig. However, I prefer to fill and use the water tank, so water pressure doesn't affect me directly.

If the pressure gets to insane levels, I'm well protected. Worst case, the regulator pops, and I have soggy ground near my rig.

[mike-s]

lawrosa wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Have been in campgrounds that WARNED of HIGH Pressure
Have been in campgrounds that had as HIGH as 120 PSI in system
Have seen potable water hoses that looked like a python that just swallowed a pig.....and then burst

Ive never seen it... Usually painfully low pressure due to everyone using water..

It's only low when everyone's using it. In the middle of the night when no one's using it, it's high because the campground cranked it up because of all the complaints of low pressure during the day.

[Rover_Bill]

myredracer wrote:
... we use a Valterra high pressure hose rated for 160 psi.

I have that same high pressure hose. Before I learned to put the regulator at the CG spigot, I would get water leaks at the screw-on fittings. None of the several different types of hose washers I tried totally stopped the leaks. I even tried using a wrench on the fittings to hold the washers tight. When I moved the regulator to the CG spigot, the water leaks stopped even when the fittings were just finger tight.

Lesson learned: The tested hose can hold the pressure but the screw-on fittings won't.

[myredracer]

The better place for a regulator outside is at the CG faucet so that your hose shouldn't blow up. If you want to mount it at the city water inlet end, use a high pressure rated hose. Putting it at the CG faucet means some day you might forget it - have seen a few left behind.

What I did is install an adjustable Watts 263A regulator under the kitchen sink and used brass pipe to the city water inlet. Changed the city water inlet to one in brass. With the regulator being inside, we use a Valterra high pressure hose rated for 160 psi. I installed a "telltale" gauge ahead of the regulator that reads the highest pressure to date. Highest so far has been 120 psi somewhere out there. I have the regulator set at 60 psi (have another gauge after the regulator.) whereas the inline ones are fixed at 45. I also punched out the cheapo plastic check valve inside the city water inlet and installed a commercial grade one ahead of the regulator. I blow the lines out for winterizing and freezing isn't a problem.

If you are using filters, some have a max. pressure rating and you want the regulator upstream of them.

I have read a few reports of CG pressure as high as 200 psi.

[John_Joey]

Fulltimers wrote:
Wise choice.

Hope all your RV trips are great ones!

X2

[Fulltimers]

Wise choice.

Hope all your RV trips are great ones!

[grumpy2day]

I think I will continue to put the pressure regulator where I have always put it. At the cg faucet.

[Dave_H_M]

So grumpy, where are you gonna put it now?

[John_Joey]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Have been in campgrounds that WARNED of HIGH Pressure
Have been in campgrounds that had as HIGH as 120 PSI in system...

X2

I've also seen those cheap water pressure regulator with a dial slowly allow the pressure to build up while I was not paying attention. The picture Lawrosa posted is the absolute cheapest, and wasn't nowhere as expensive as the one I had in the beginning. I can only guess that one posted is a POS.

Only real good solution I found was a whole house brass regulator. Last one I had I got at a big box store for $45.

[Old-Biscuit]

lawrosa wrote:

PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE
The tem perature and pressure relief valve is designed to open if the tem perature
of the water within the heater reaches 210°F, or if the water pressure in the heater
reaches 150 pounds. Recreational vehicle water system s are closed system s and
during the water heating cycle the pressure build-up in the water system will reach
150 pounds. W hen this pressure is reached, the pressure relief valve will open
and water will drip from the valve. This dripping will continue until the pressure is
reduced to below 150 pounds, and the valve closes. This condition is norm al and
does not indicate a defective relief valve.
WARNING! Do not place a valve between the relief valve and the tank. Do
not plug the relief valve under any circumstances.
WATER WEEPING OR DRIPPING FROM PRESSURE
RELIEF VALVE
You m ay experience water weeping or dripping from your water heater’s Pressure
and Tem perature (P & T) Relief Valve when your water heater is operating. W ater
weeping or dripping from the P & T Valve does not always m ean the P & T Valve
is defective. As water is heated, it expands. The water system in a recreational
vehicle is a closed system and does not allow for the expansion of heated water.
W hen the pressure of the water system exceeds the relieving point of the P & T
Valve, the valve will relieve the excess pressure.
Suburban recom m ends that a check valve not be installed directly at the inlet to
the water heater tank. This will increase weeping of the pressure relief valve.
WARNING! Do not remove or plug the relief valve.
One way to reduce the frequency of this occurrence is to m aintain an air pocket
at the top of the water heater tank. This air pocket will form in the tank by design.
However, it will be reduced over time by the everyday use of your water heater.
To replenish this air pocket:
1. Turn off water heater.
2. Turn off cold water supply line.
3. Open a faucet in the RV.
4. Pull out on the handle of the Pressure Relief (P & T) Valve and allow water
to flow from the valve until it stops.
5. Release handle on P & T Valve - it should snap closed.
6. Close faucet and turn on cold water supply; as the tank fills, the air pocket
will develop.
Repeat this procedure as often as needed to reduce the frequency of the weeping
of the P & T Valve. If the weeping persists after following this procedure, you m ay
elect to install an expansion or accum ulator tank in the cold water line between the
tank and check valve to relieve the pressure caused by therm al expansion.
Contact your local dealer for assistance.

And there you have it........
Reinforced what has been posted and supplied by the RV Water Heater MFGS...BOTH of them

An Air Pocket to control pressure increases and use of an accumulator tank if needed

Amazing :S

[lawrosa]

PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE
The tem perature and pressure relief valve is designed to open if the tem perature
of the water within the heater reaches 210°F, or if the water pressure in the heater
reaches 150 pounds. Recreational vehicle water system s are closed system s and
during the water heating cycle the pressure build-up in the water system will reach
150 pounds. W hen this pressure is reached, the pressure relief valve will open
and water will drip from the valve. This dripping will continue until the pressure is
reduced to below 150 pounds, and the valve closes. This condition is norm al and
does not indicate a defective relief valve.
WARNING! Do not place a valve between the relief valve and the tank. Do
not plug the relief valve under any circumstances.
WATER WEEPING OR DRIPPING FROM PRESSURE
RELIEF VALVE
You m ay experience water weeping or dripping from your water heater’s Pressure
and Tem perature (P & T) Relief Valve when your water heater is operating. W ater
weeping or dripping from the P & T Valve does not always m ean the P & T Valve
is defective. As water is heated, it expands. The water system in a recreational
vehicle is a closed system and does not allow for the expansion of heated water.
W hen the pressure of the water system exceeds the relieving point of the P & T
Valve, the valve will relieve the excess pressure.
Suburban recom m ends that a check valve not be installed directly at the inlet to
the water heater tank. This will increase weeping of the pressure relief valve.
WARNING! Do not remove or plug the relief valve.
One way to reduce the frequency of this occurrence is to m aintain an air pocket
at the top of the water heater tank. This air pocket will form in the tank by design.
However, it will be reduced over time by the everyday use of your water heater.
To replenish this air pocket:
1. Turn off water heater.
2. Turn off cold water supply line.
3. Open a faucet in the RV.
4. Pull out on the handle of the Pressure Relief (P & T) Valve and allow water
to flow from the valve until it stops.
5. Release handle on P & T Valve - it should snap closed.
6. Close faucet and turn on cold water supply; as the tank fills, the air pocket
will develop.
Repeat this procedure as often as needed to reduce the frequency of the weeping
of the P & T Valve. If the weeping persists after following this procedure, you m ay
elect to install an expansion or accum ulator tank in the cold water line between the
tank and check valve to relieve the pressure caused by therm al expansion.
Contact your local dealer for assistance.

[12thgenusa]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
I do find the accumulator tank I installed in our RV beneficial in reducing pump starts and the need to re-establish the heater tank's air pocket, but as far as the water heater itself goes in the absence of an accumulator, if the relief valve is weeping when heating, then the air pocket in the tank is gone. Simply draining the tank fully with the relief valve open will re-establish the air pocket as noted in the owners manual trouble shooting section for most. Not all residential systems have an accumulator tank either.

No need to fully drain the tank. Simply turn the pump and/or city water off and open a tap inside to relieve system pressure. Then open the lever on the relief valve until water stops flowing. Release the lever and the air pocket is re-established.

[wa8yxm]

enblethen wrote:
I put it at the spigot to somewhat protect the hose.

Though I now use a different method to protect my hose (Turn the spigot off Do not put static pressure on the hose) THe park I'm in has clocked pressure over 120PSI Enough to blow a hose apart. Hence I support the above

Now the issue.. Many Filters restrict flow so you need a higher pressure at the filter.. The hose can take 70 PSI or even 80 usually well but not 120

So if you have a restrictive filter.. Two regulators. good quality jobs like Watts, Zurin or the Valterra Adjustable. I set the spigot to like 6-70 and the filter out at 50.. But I now have a filter that allows better flow so 50 at the spigot when I use city water.

For assorted reasons though I just fill my on board and forget the regulator. Turn it off and don't worry about it .

[imgoin4it]

I hook the wye on the faucet, them put the regulator on the side that supplies the hose to the RV. I use the non regulated side of the wye for the hose that I use to flush the tanks. For flushing I want all the pressure I can get.