Pressure Reducer

jayrzr · 07-23-2010, 02:00 PM

I know that I need to use pressure reducer on hose when connecting to city water or adding water to 100 gal. tank but when draining the black tank and connecting hose to black tank flush do I need to use the pressure reducer on it also.

cfsoistman · 07-23-2010, 02:29 PM

I don't use the pressure reducer either way most times since the filter canister reduces the pressure dramatically already. If you can check the pressure and it's real high I'd be concerned about your hose. If I read 50 then I don't worry about the pressure reducer. As for the black flush, the more pressure it has the better it should work since it's blasting the crud away inside the tank. I haven't used a pressure reducer in quite a while. Some places the faucet already has one locked on by the campground. They're usually a short brass extension on the hose connection with a set screw in the side.

**Herk7769** · 07-23-2010, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfsoistman

Some places the faucet already has one locked on by the campground. They're usually a short brass extension on the hose connection with a set screw in the side.

I have seen those, but they are one way check valves.

I have had more trouble with "low" pressure rather than high at most campgrounds.

milzat · 07-23-2010, 06:54 PM

Never used a pressure reducer. 40-80 PSI is an average city water pressure. Some deep well pumps may produce higher values.

PEX is limited to 180° F.
Temperature limitations are always noted on the print line of the PEX tubing. PEX systems are tested to and can be used with standard temperature and pressure relief valves that operate at 210” F and 150 psi.
__________________

NWJeeper · 07-23-2010, 07:52 PM

X2 what Charlie said. The onboard filter cuts down the pressure really well. So much so that using a pressure regulator on the incoming water just produces pressures so low you can hardly flush the toilet or take a shower. No need on the tank fill either, the faster you can fill that thing the better. And on the black flush, well the higher the better there too as stated above.

mjones12 · 07-23-2010, 08:54 PM

I'm talking about a travel trailer, now, and not a motorhome. But the Forest River folks told me that 40-60 psi is the maximum without damaging my water lines. I was at a state campground that had one of the small, locked-on regulators mentioned above. I got down and took a close look at it, and it said 125 psi on the side. So I use my brass pressure regulator on top of that. Those lock-on models seem to have some sort of pin inside, which usually dents the conical screen inside my pressure regulator, but it still seems to work well, providing plenty of pressure.

Also, I have seen a pressure regulator at Camping World that has a gauge on it, so you can see exactly what you're getting. Another version of that actually allows you to adjust the pressure to where you want it.

NWJeeper · 07-23-2010, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjones12

I'm talking about a travel trailer, now, and not a motorhome. But the Forest River folks told me that 40-60 psi is the maximum without damaging my water lines. I was at a state campground that had one of the small, locked-on regulators mentioned above. I got down and took a close look at it, and it said 125 psi on the side. So I use my brass pressure regulator on top of that. Those lock-on models seem to have some sort of pin inside, which usually dents the conical screen inside my pressure regulator, but it still seems to work well, providing plenty of pressure.

Also, I have seen a pressure regulator at Camping World that has a gauge on it, so you can see exactly what you're getting. Another version of that actually allows you to adjust the pressure to where you want it.

RVs are plummed with all the same PEX so no matter if motorhome or trailer. The things you see on the water spiggots at campgrounds, the "little brass things" are not pressure regulators, they are anti siphon and or frost free fittings used in really cold climates. The "125 psi" you see on the side is a maximum safe pressure they can allow through them. My "frost free" outdoor hose bib came from the store with the same thing on it. With most of them you will notice that if you turn off the water with the hose still connected, water will spray out the side of them, therby removing the possibility of siphoning water back into the system and draining water from the bib so it cannot freeze.

Mr. Black · 07-24-2010, 11:27 AM

A water filter will NOT reduce pressure. It may restrict volume of water but that is about it. I run a Dupont whole house filter with a pressure gauge on each side of the filter so I can watch peak pressure and also monitor filter cloggage.

I used to be one of those I don't need to run even the cheesy little Marshall regulator guys untill I saw pressure spikes as high as 125psi in a few parks. I know a properly built system should be able to handle that but I don't need to be repairing blown apart PEX joints while I am supposed to be having fun lol.

I have been running a custom manifold in my water hose with 2 Marshall brass 40-50 pound regulators. Twice the volume is now there over running just one. Our shower works great now. I have read of some guys even building a manifold to hold 3 of them for max flow. There is some pretty cool info on RVs and pressure regulators out there on a Google search. The homemade Marshall manifolds are beating some 100 dollar whole house regulators you would buy at home depot as far as volume goes.

milzat · 07-24-2010, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Black

I have been running a custom manifold in my water hose with 2 Marshall brass 40-50 pound regulators. Twice the volume is now there over running just one.

Are you running the regulators side-by-side on a homemade manifold?

Mr. Black · 07-24-2010, 12:08 PM

Yes, they have to be hooked up in parallel or it won't work. Hooking them up in series would be of no benefit to volume. I bought two Y manifolds and sacrificed a new rv water hose to build it up. It cost about 20 bucks to build without the regulators which I already had 3 of. It was worth every penny the next time I stepped into the shower.

Also to the OP, I don't use any regulation of any kind hooking up to the black tank flush kit. You won't build much if any pressure in that system so you might as well get all the blasting power you can get.

mjones12 · 07-24-2010, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NWJeeper

RVs are plummed with all the same PEX so no matter if motorhome or trailer. The things you see on the water spiggots at campgrounds, the "little brass things" are not pressure regulators, they are anti siphon and or frost free fittings used in really cold climates. The "125 psi" you see on the side is a maximum safe pressure they can allow through them. My "frost free" outdoor hose bib came from the store with the same thing on it. With most of them you will notice that if you turn off the water with the hose still connected, water will spray out the side of them, therby removing the possibility of siphoning water back into the system and draining water from the bib so it cannot freeze.

Thanks, Jeeper, for helping me make sense of that. I didn't know what it was, but when I saw the 125 psi, I knew it was too much pressure for me. Thanks again for sharing your experience. It is invaluable.

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