So What is a Water Pressure Reducing Valve?

A hot water system or heating system comprises of many parts – each of these parts being designed to work within a certain range of pressures. Too much pressure, as with anything, will cause problems within the system, rendering everything else useless. Certain kinds of taps work within this range. For example, your living area (zip code) will have a standard pressure allotment for water to enter the pipes going to your house. If the tap cannot handle this pressure, it will cause what is basically a small explosion in your piping system at the exact point where your tap is situated due to an excess of pressure. To avoid this, you will install a water pressure reducing valve.

What are the Features of the Water Pressure Reducing Valve?

There are a large variety of water pressure reducing valve on the market, but they are essentially the same in function and design – they all serve the same purpose and there is not a lot that changes in design features. A standard pipe measures between 14mm and 22mm and this width needs to be taken into account when buying a water pressure reducing valve. All of these valves have particular features that are common to them and you will need to remember these features when you decide to purchase and install one yourself.

All valves will have a small arrow diagram on them that shows you the direction in which they must be installed on your device. All will have a tank (a type of small reservoir) at the bottom. In addition to this they will all have a small cap that can be removed in order to fit a gauge to determine pressure at any given time. The most important thing to remember is that they must be placed at the top of a straight pipe with the tank facing the bottom or they will not work.

Playing Your Part in Conserving Water with a Water Pressure Reducing Valve

Simple logic will draw the conclusion that the higher the pressure of the water that you are drawing, the greater the wastage of water that you will experience at any given time. So what should you do? Apply a water pressure reducing valve, and you will be reducing the wastage of water. When you do this you will not only be saving water but saving money as well – the municipality will charge you extra for a high consumption level of water at any time of the year, particularly in summer when people are filling pools and watering their gardens even more.

Did you know that if you reduce the amount of water that your household consumes, it will be cheaper for you to heat hot water at the same time? This is a saving that can add up to a lot of money each year. Installing a water pressure reducing valve – either by DIY methods or by calling a professional to do it for you – will save you money and time in the long run.