Adjustable water regulator pressure reading

[sluggermike]

I have an older RV,  and I recently purchased an adjustable water regulator.  The instructions tell you to set the max at 60psi.  When the water is not in use it read 60 psi at the last RV park I was staying at.  When the water is turned on, it reads 40 psi.  I'm trying to figure out what I should set the water pressure at?  If I want the pressure in the RV to be 60 psi, then the standby pressure would probably have to be set at 80 psi which I believe might blow out my plumbing system.  Any ideas on this?

 

[PopPop51]

We keep ours set to 40psi, which delivers plenty of flow at the sinks and shower to get the job done. Just don't see a benefit to pushing the house pressure any higher. There's more oomph at the shower head at higher pressure, true, but the gray tanks also fill up faster.
I've stayed at a few campgrounds that warn of high line pressure (one that I regularly overnight at even requires a regulator) but many seem barely able to deliver a constant 40psi at the spigot in use.

 

[John From Detroit]

I set mine to 50.. however there are several things that will affect you "in use" pressure

1: the park.. I stay in parks where the park only provides 50 PSI (or less on occasion) and there I don't use it, I also stay in a park that provides 120PSI.. enough to blow your hose appart so you bet I use it.

If the park can't provide the pressure... or the flow... Well not much you can do

2: There are regulators and regulators and regulators

The first two are cylinders (usually) one model at least is adjustable, they are about the size of a hose coupling and in fact the male coupling is part of the body, female may be as well.  Some are labled "HIGH FLOW" do not believe it

Then there are decent regulators.. This is my expierence

The above described: Junk, can not maintain pressure.

Valterra adjustable: I have not tried.. Others have, and have given very good reports.

Sur-Flo.. This is the model built into many RV's. I give it a 9

Watts. Adjustable mine was 3/4 Inch, also Zurin Adjustable also 3/4 "  Solid 10 when new but as they age they start to restrict flow (old joke what goes 10-9-8-7 and so on.. The regulator getting older,, Or Bo, take your pick)

The Sur-Flo appears to be rebuildable.. The Watts and Zurin are,, I need a rebuld kit for my Watts.

 

[BinaryBob]

Camco recently came out with a Valterra clone at half the cost.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

It should be set to the desired static pressure, i.e. no water flowing. It is normal for pressure to drop once a faucet is opened anywhere. The purpose of the regulator is to limit the maximum pressure in the plumbing system in order to protect it.

RVIA standards for test pressures have changed over the years, so depending on the age of your RV, it may have been tested at 65 psi, 85 psi, or perhaps as high as 100 psi.  And remember, that was when it was new at the factory. Pipes, fittings and joints can deteriorate over time, though its anybody's guess how much effect that has.

If your RV was built in the past 12 or so years, odds are it was pressure tested to at least 85 psi when new, so you might risk increasing the regulated pressure above 60.  Of course, many park water systems won't deliver that much pressure anyway. Some will be in the 40-45 psi range, and setting the regulator higher can't change that.

 

[aquadave]

I like 30-40 but not over 40 it's a waste of water and fills up the tank to fast. and the little cheap faucets can't handle prolonged pressure

 

[Mile High]

A pressure regulator cannot reduce static pressure, only flow pressure.  If you're campground is at 80psi and your regulator is set to 40 psi then it should hold 40 psi fairly accurately when water is flowing, but with no water flowing you'll notice the pressure will creep back up to what the general campground pressure is.  If your campground is excessively high, it might pay to run from the tank and fill when needed.

 

[8Muddypaws]

A pressure regulator cannot reduce static pressure, only flow pressure.  If you're campground is at 80psi and your regulator is set to 40 psi then it should hold 40 psi fairly accurately when water is flowing, but with no water flowing you'll notice the pressure will creep back up to what the general campground pressure is.  If your campground is excessively high, it might pay to run from the tank and fill when needed.

I've been using a Watts regulator for years.  If I set it on 60PSI it stays there unless the water is flowing downstream somewhere.  No amount of time without water flowing causes it to increase beyond where I set it, otherwise there would be no reason to even have one.  I'm on my third dial gauge on the regulator and they have all reacted the same way.  Other regulators may be different of course, especially the notorious flow limiting type.

 

[NY_Dutch]

A pressure regulator cannot reduce static pressure, only flow pressure.  If you're campground is at 80psi and your regulator is set to 40 psi then it should hold 40 psi fairly accurately when water is flowing, but with no water flowing you'll notice the pressure will creep back up to what the general campground pressure is.  If your campground is excessively high, it might pay to run from the tank and fill when needed.

If your regulator works that way, scrap it and buy a good quality regulator. The static pressure should never exceed the set pressure. Even our low cost Valterra "barrel" type high flow regulator holds the static pressure at 47 PSI with a 90-100 PSI park supply pressure. It drops to about 40 with the shower running, but we find that acceptable with our Camco shower head.

 

[Mile High]

If your regulator works that way, scrap it and buy a good quality regulator. The static pressure should never exceed the set pressure. Even our low cost Valterra "barrel" type high flow regulator holds the static pressure at 47 PSI with a 90-100 PSI park supply pressure. It drops to about 40 with the shower running, but we find that acceptable with our Camco shower head.

Mine is the Valterra, actually the second one as I left one on the post last year.  Neither of them were any good at reducing static.  In fact to set it, I had to flow water.  In fact it acts more like a PRV.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

but with no water flowing you'll notice the pressure will creep back up to what the general campground pressure is.

It should not creep up if the regulator is working properly. It's entire purpose is to protect the system downstream from any excessive pressure, whether static or flow. If you can't go away for several hours and expect the downstream static pressure to remain under the prescribed limit, then the regulator is either junk or broken.

Note that when you adjust the pressure downward, you have to open a faucet on the downstream side to bleed off the higher pressure that already exists in the RV's water lines. The gauge on the regulator may not reflect the lower set pressure until you do that.

 

[billwild]

All the way down from the cold country to Cedar City Utah, all I heard was." we need water, we need water. Okay, so I hooked it up but did not notice I did not have the regulator on the hose. All I could hear then was, " there is water coming out of the walls".  That's right, blew the connection right apart under the sink. Since then I always, always hook it up.


Bill

 

[muskoka guy]

One safe way to ensure you never wreck your pipes is fill your tank and use your own pump for water pressure. Turn off the tap coming from the park. I have seen waterfalls coming out of peoples trailers. I prefer to use my own pump instead of having to worry about water pressure wrecking stuff.

 

[whiteva]

I also like using the on board tank and pump. Re-fill as needed.

 

[butch50]

I use the city water hookup but we always close the tap when we leave so there is no water to the rig. When we are dry camping and leave the rig we always shut off the pump also. When you run off your pump if you should have a water leak while you are gone it is going to continue till it drains your tank and then burns out the water pump. For us that is 85 gallons (max) water. Now sure 85 is better than hundreds of gallons if you are gone for a long time but hopefully someone in the campground will see this and shut off the city tap stopping the flow of water. On your pump there is no way anybody can get to it to shut off the pump. So it is half of a dozen of one and six of the other. The only way to be sure it to shut off either the city tap or the pump when leaving your rig.

I also use a water regulator that is on my filter set up all the time. We use it every time we hook up to a city tap. This way it is not forgotten and I don't leave it behind either. Short hose from the spigot to the filter with the regulator and then into the filters. I have mine set at 40 PSI and that works for us.