Thursday, August 13, 2009

PRESSURE REDUCING VALVE (PRV)


Do you ever wonder what that brass thing is by the main water shut-off? That is one of the most important plumbing parts in your home. It is called a Pressure Reducing Valve, also known as a PRV. Without it, your home is more susceptible to water pressure spikes. This can cause severe damage to your home as it may rupture pipes, water heaters, water softeners, faucets etc.
Water main pressure can exceed 200psi. Municipal and private water supply companies use pumps and pumping stations to boost water supply pressures. This allows them to maintain adequate water pressure for fire fighting, high-rise buildings to overcome loss of pressure and to maintain water supply in water towers and supply tanks. Water pressure reducing valves, on domestic systems where the municipal water main’s pressure exceeds 80psi, are required. Also, in reference to our blog post on water heater explosions, keeping your PRV in proper working order will help keep the water pressure at or around 50 psi. While there are more factors that go into water heater explosions, a working PRV will help prevent water heaters from exploding.
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