Water Pressure

   / Water Pressure #1  

kcflhrc

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2014
Messages
2,026
Location
Kansas
Tractor
2013 John Deere 3032E
On a previous thread I posted how my outdoor hydrant failed and had to be replaced. Then we developed a water leak down by the highway way before our meter. Water company came out yesterday and dug it up and repaired it. Now my neighbor says he has noticed what he thinks is a leak in his yard. I checked my water pressure at my new outside hydrant yesterday, it was 120. WOW, waaaay too high. I have a regulator inside for the house but my outside hydrant doesn't connect to the house, it is connected outside underground somewhere. My question is this. Can the Rural Water Company do something at the meter or what are my options. My new hydrant says MAX PSI of 80. Thoughts??
 
   / Water Pressure #2  
Are you at the bottom of a hill? The farther down water travels, the more pressure you have. It's pretty simple to put a pressure reducer onto your main line before it enters the house, or in your case, before it goes to your other lines. I doubt you will have much luck with the water department unless you can go over their heads and get a regulatory agency involved. Most water departments are struggling to increase their water pressure.

Eddie
 
   / Water Pressure
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Are you at the bottom of a hill? The farther down water travels, the more pressure you have. It's pretty simple to put a pressure reducer onto your main line before it enters the house, or in your case, before it goes to your other lines. I doubt you will have much luck with the water department unless you can go over their heads and get a regulatory agency involved. Most water departments are struggling to increase their water pressure.

Eddie

I'm the second to the last of the end of the line. The water company called back, They are going to check into it thankfully. They are really good people so far to deal with. They even list their cell phone #'s on their website in case it is an emergency. You don't ever see that.
 
   / Water Pressure
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Well, that was quick. Called at 8:30 this morning and they guy is already there. Said he would install a new regulator.
 
   / Water Pressure #5  
I'm the second to the last of the end of the line. The water company called back, They are going to check into it thankfully. They are really good people so far to deal with. They even list their cell phone #'s on their website in case it is an emergency. You don't ever see that.
Yeah, for water co-ops, that's pretty much standard. They get a major break- they need to know about it ASAP. Water is not cheap and the main job of a co-op is not profit, but to deliver water at a reasonable price.
 
   / Water Pressure
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Don't know about co-ops, ours is just a Rural Water District here in Kansas. Great people so far.
 
   / Water Pressure #7  
Wow, 120psi ! Good that you caught it.

My mother in law has a cabin down on a river, but her main property -- and the city water she's hooked up to -- is about 100' above that. So when we ran water down to the cabin, we knew it was going to gain about 45psi and planned accordingly. Still it's been a challenge to deal with 100-120psi down there over the years.
 
   / Water Pressure #8  
The home I grew up in and Mom still has is always 160-170 psi... none in the 1959 neighborhood had pressure reducers... just the way it was because the pumping station needed enough pressure for the hydrants up on Skyline Blvd which is at a much higher elevation.

Never had any problems until I put in a new toilet with plastic parts... the ballcock blew!

Seems copper L pipe with brass sprinkler valves and sprinklers and old American Standard toilets with brass/bronze hardware did just fine with the high pressure as did the original Hoyt Water heater which lasted 22 years and never had a PTR valve.

With all new plastic plumbing fittings and a new water heater I had no choice other than put in a regulator... water pressure is now 60 psi except for the yard hydrant... which is still 160 psi.
 
   / Water Pressure
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Checked it all last night. Outdoor hydrant is now at about 75 psi after he installed the new regulator.
 
   / Water Pressure #10  
I had this "problem" too. My house is right at 100ft in elevation below the tap at the main road where the pressure is about 60psi. So I have something like 120psi in the front yard at the hydrant. One regulator there down to about 45psi so I can feed the horse trough via garden hose and yard service line, then another just inside the house at about 40psi. I like having high pressure along my main water line because I may need to use the yard hydrants I installed along it for fire protection. Plus, my BIL (from across the holler with his poor well) can fill up his 500 gal emergency supply tank quick. I'm a little (but pleasantly) surprised that I have NOT had frequent failures from the cheap Lowes-supplied "Simmons" hydrants due to the high pressure. The underground pipe is spec'd for something like 250psi.

- Jay
 

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