5 Benefits of Water Pressure Regulators
Do you need a water regulator valve?
A massive stream of water might seem like a great thing in your home — but not only is that high-pressure wasteful, it could be costing you money, too! Think about water pressure in your home the same way you think about your blood pressure. The higher the pressure, the higher the chances of problems down the line.
Luckily, for you, we have the answer to all your water pressure woes, and that is with a compact and inexpensive water pressure reducing valve, commonly known as a water pressure regulator.
So what are the benefits of getting your water pressure in check and working towards water conservation?
1. A Water Regulator Valve May Be Needed to Save Water
If the water pressure level coming into your home from the city exceeds 80 psi, you need a water pressure regulator. Reducing the system pressure 10 to 20 psi can save thousands of gallons a year in the typical home. With a regulated stream of water set at the right pressure levels, you will save on water consumption in your home without changing any habits! A water pressure valve is great for your savings and the environment.
2. Better For Fixtures and Appliances
Another reason why you need a water pressure regulator Goes back to the blood pressure analogy, imagine your appliances dealing with that high water pressure. It puts a strain on every part of the appliance that delivers water. The steady, regulated stream of water created by the water pressure valve, will prolong the life of your appliances and allow them to work at their best.
3. Saves Money
Of course, the installation might seem like an extra cost, but it’s one that will quickly pay off. Your water bill will significantly reduce and you can even see a decrease in your energy usage, with fewer repairs on your appliances, too. And here’s another tip: Once your water pressure is regulated, swap out your showerheads, faucets, and toilets for low-flow and water efficient models as these will save even more on water usage in your home. With today’s technology, they are designed to deliver great water pressure when you turn on the faucet, shower, or flush while using very little water.
4. Stabilizes Pressure
Fact: No one wants to take a shower in a jet stream! With steady pressure from the water pressure regulator, you can have a more relaxing shower experience and will never have to worry about soaking yourself while washing the dishes. A water regulator valve can accomplish this by controlling the amount of pressure in your shower head.
5. Reduces Risk of Leaks
Unnecessary high pressure is not suitable for your pipes; the heavy flow can cause hairline cracks and leaks, eventually leading to a big pipe blow out. Water leaks will do extreme damage to your home, often requiring major construction restoration to damaged floors, cabinets, drywall, and surrounding areas – not to mention mold. To reduce your chance of having a major plumbing disaster — you’ll want to get your water pressure regulated fast.
Need water pressure regulator repairs or replacement in San Diego? We’ve got you covered! Our plumbing experts can add a house water pressure regulator to your plumbing system.
At Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air, our plumbing technicians are licensed, and all of our service and parts come with a warranty. Call 866-374-0402 to get your water pressure regulator to start saving money and water.
High-pressure recovery valves (see Figure 1), have been used for quite a number of years as fuel control devices to regulate gas flowing to burners of gas-turbine generators.
Such valves bring significant benefits. For example, the most important feature of this valve is the great energy savings it offers. The device can control large amounts of liquids or gases whilst sacrificing only limited amounts of pressure drop – just 10 per cent of inlet pressure for gases, for example. Also of interest is the unique function of this device to be able to operate within a significant range of pressure reductions and within a laminar flow regime. This flow regime experiences no turbulence, nor the associated sound.
The question arises, why hasn’t this concept been employed in general industry? The answer may simply be a lack of familiarity. In order to provide a viable alternative for general use, the author has therefore designed a special valve type as shown in Figure 2.
Description of the device
As Figure 2 shows, the design is quite simple and lends itself to low-cost manufacturing. There are only three moving parts. The appearance draws itself to a butterfly valve. Yet, this vane does not close in the vertical direction, but is tilted about 30 degrees from the horizontal axis.
Significantly, in this position, all side surfaces along the vertical axis are in contact with the inner wall of the housing in order to provide shut-off, thus providing a tilted wall across the housing (see also the vertical view in Figure 2).
The reason for tilting the vane is to provide an overall length which is twice that of a comparable vertical vane. The result is that all planar surfaces are located less than 20 degrees (α) from the vertical axis, thus providing sufficient pressure recovery. Unfortunately, nothing is perfect.
In this case, the device cannot meet Class IV leakage (although it will meet Class II). In addition, the travel is limited to 30 degrees. This means that the shaft will need a 2” extended lever to satisfy 1” actuator travel. On the other hand, with such high leverage and low operating torque, a 25 square inch actuator would be able to operate a 4” valve.