Posted: 2/7/2013 7:12:42 PM EDT
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I'm in a new to me house that is about 5 1/2 years old, the plumbing is in very good shape. My problem occurs when any faucet / shower knob is turned on. When I turn on (say the kitchen faucet) the water comes out normal for a second or two then drops down to a slow flow and in about 4-5 seconds picks back up to normal flow.
The house does have a pressure regulator just above the main shut-off out in the garage. When I washed my car last week, when I would turn the hose on, the same drop in pressure would occur but I could hear the regulator squeeling, then the pressure would pick back up. Sometimes, when turning on a faucet, I get no water flow for 3-4 seconds before it starts flowing. At this point I haven't put a water pressure gauge on any faucet to see what it is doing. I am leaning to the regulator being bad, should I look at anything else as a possible culprit? If this is the case, how much should I look at paying a plumber to switch it out? |
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It sounds like there might be a piece of trash or some scale buildup in a port on the RPZ valve. Could also be that one of the check valves is sticking and won't release until the pressure differential becomes too great.
Valves cost about $250 to $300 plus labor if it needs replacing. |
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It sounds like there might be a piece of trash or some scale buildup in a port on the RPZ valve. Could also be that one of the check valves is sticking and won't release until the pressure differential becomes too great. Valves cost about $250 to $300 plus labor if it needs replacing. It's city water. Where would I find the rpz valve, if I have one? |
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It sounds like there might be a piece of trash or some scale buildup in a port on the RPZ valve. Could also be that one of the check valves is sticking and won't release until the pressure differential becomes too great. Valves cost about $250 to $300 plus labor if it needs replacing. It's city water. Where would I find the rpz valve, if I have one? near your water meter or service shutoff, you should see something like one of the following: 
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but I could hear the regulator squeeling https://www.google.com/search?q=water+pressure+regulator+squeal ar-jedi |
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Valves cost about $250 to $300 plus labor if it needs replacing. US$250 or more for a residential PRV? http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=21501-18701-25AUB-Z3+3%2f4&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3247454&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1 ar-jedi |
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It sounds like there might be a piece of trash or some scale buildup in a port on the RPZ valve. Could also be that one of the check valves is sticking and won't release until the pressure differential becomes too great. Valves cost about $250 to $300 plus labor if it needs replacing. It's city water. Where would I find the rpz valve, if I have one? near your water meter or service shutoff, you should see something like one of the following: http://www.atlantisplumbing.com/images/water-pressure-regulatorsall.jpg Ok, great. That's the part I have been calling a water pressure regulator. I have one installed right above the main shut-off in the garage. I would try and tackle it myself but there is limited room in the little cubby where it is and I would rather not burn down / flood out my house trying it myself 
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US$250 or more for a residential PRV? http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=21501-18701-25AUB-Z3+3%2f4&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3247454&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1 ar-jedi You're right, I was going from memory for the price. It's probably been eight years since I've installed one... It was a Wilkins on a 2 story light commercial building with flush valve toilets which is more costly. The OP should keep volume and vertical rise in mind as well as price. For instance OP, if someone is going to use a garden hose and wash laundry while someone is trying to take a shower on the second floor I would definitely opt for a valve with high flow rate. All quality manufacturers have a gpm/flow chart for each valve model. The one that ar-jedi linked could be perfect for your situation. |
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Here a few pics of the regulator. Looks to be soldered on both ends 
Edit to add: Looks like they make a repair kit for this unit (Watts N55B-RK). Anyone taken one of these apart? ] I can't tell from the pics but you may have ball valves on each side of the regulator, I see one... If you do, turn those off to isolate the regulator. Don't forget that there is a valve at the street if needed. - There is a union on the lower side of that regulator. You take apart the union first then the regulator can be spun off of the threaded copper male adapters. Reverse procedure to install the new regulator. Edit to add- The repair kits are straight forward and will make sense to you when you have the kit. ( my posting speed is a little slow today ) Good luck. |
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You don't have to worry about burning anything down. That brass nut(half union) on the bottom of the regulator can be taken apart, then you can unscrew the regulator from the male adapter on top, remove, and replace. ^^^ this. get two large adjustable wrenches, the new regulator, some teflon tape, some Pro-Dope, and shut off the water supply, and shut off as many valves as you can downstream of the regulator. grab a couple of shower-sized bathroom towels, and go to work. the label is a little unclear in the picture, but the regulator you have there appears to a model N55BU M1, and it looks to be 3/4" dia, or perhaps 1". residential is most likely 3/4". 3/4" - http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100072496/ 1" - http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100211494 ar-jedi |
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It doesn't look to me like there is enough room to turn it in there. It could just be the pic though. sssshhhh. you are not helping! 
OP: do you own a Sawzall? ar-jedi LOL! Might be able to pull it off if the guts are removed before trying to turn it. |
Does this look dirty to you?
I went to HD to get a valve and some tools, of course they have only 4 valves of any kind in stock, so I got some supplies and came home. Decided to pull the guts out and have a look-see. Not to hard to pull but very gunked up with mineralization. I cleaned everything off the best I could, put it back together and wouldn't you know it? It works now 
I'm still going to order a repair kit for it. And yes, the space is very tight in the little box they built for it 
Thanks to all who responded in the thread. And btw, I could have opened it up with a drywall saw, not a sawsall
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