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Old 06-07-2020, 06:55 AM   #1
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Water Pressure

Although I have a pressure regulator on my incoming water line set at 40 psi I found the pressure sometimes far exceeded that. Investigating this, using a pressure regulator with a gage I think I found the problem but have no good solution. As we have seen most campground have installed backflow protections on their water faucets but that creates a problem as any pressure built up in the cambers water system have no way to go. Consequently, after filling my system with cold water and turning on the water heater the expansion causes the water pressure to build more or less like a steam engine boiler. I guess I could install a pressure release valve but my experience with them is that A: they are not accurate and B: the difference between opening and closing is about 30psi so I would need it set at about 80 psi to work. I have an R-Pod 179 and I'm not sure how much pressure it can take. Any suggestions
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Old 06-07-2020, 07:30 AM   #2
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Welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. I have never heard of a HWT causing over pressurization of a system. If you are using a regulator with a fixed orifice even with a gauge the correct pressure down stream of the device will on be such when there is water flow once the flow stops the system will equalize at the campground setting. Use a spring controlled pressure regulator with gauge and that should solve your problem.
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Old 06-07-2020, 08:31 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bernty View Post
Although I have a pressure regulator on my incoming water line set at 40 psi I found the pressure sometimes far exceeded that. Investigating this, using a pressure regulator with a gage I think I found the problem but have no good solution. As we have seen most campground have installed backflow protections on their water faucets but that creates a problem as any pressure built up in the cambers water system have no way to go. Consequently, after filling my system with cold water and turning on the water heater the expansion causes the water pressure to build more or less like a steam engine boiler. I guess I could install a pressure release valve but my experience with them is that A: they are not accurate and B: the difference between opening and closing is about 30psi so I would need it set at about 80 psi to work. I have an R-Pod 179 and I'm not sure how much pressure it can take. Any suggestions
From all the information I've seen Forest River tests your plumbing system to 100 psi. FR suggests 40 to 60 psi and recommend not to exceed 80 psi. Your water heater already has a pressure relief valve, also known as a T&P valve. It's the thing with the blue label and silver lever at top dead center of the attached photo (not the black rubber the finger is pointing at).

It's funny your the first person I know to complain with a pressure regulator installed the pressure is building up to unsafe levels. Most complain their T&P valve on the wh regularly spits a little water out. Have you ever flipped the lever on the T&P while the wh is cold to make sure the valve is not stuck?
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Old 06-07-2020, 09:49 AM   #4
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A good solution that provides other benefits is adding an accumulator tank in your water system.

Here's one that's pre-pressurized. Any expansion is "absorbed" by the tank and pressure increase is way less than if the water had no where to go.



They sell for around $40 on Amazon or at many RV supply stores.

Is installed in the cold water line but does not need to be installed next to pump or city water inlet. If no space available it can be installed where there is room like under a sink, etc. Put it on the cold water line and any pressure increase will flow into the tank and be released when valve is opened anywhere in RV.

This tank also stores a small amount of water under pressure after the pump shuts down when it's the source of water. Enough to flush a toilet in the middle of the night without turning on the pump and waking other sleepers.

If installing, make sure to install vertically with fittings on bottom so when winterizing water will drain out.
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Old 06-07-2020, 11:17 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by SeaDog View Post
Welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. I have never heard of a HWT causing over pressurization of a system. If you are using a regulator with a fixed orifice even with a gauge the correct pressure down stream of the device will on be such when there is water flow once the flow stops the system will equalize at the campground setting. Use a spring controlled pressure regulator with gauge and that should solve your problem.
I totally agree that in an open system like most older water system was, basically just a faucet and a hose to the camper, the pressure could never exceed the incoming water pressure as it would self-equalize. However, with the backflow protection getting installed in more and more campgrounds, we now have a closed system so any expansion within the camper can’t equalize so the pressure will rise. As soon as you open the faucet it will drop but without any leak or ways to expand it will rise. Using a longer water hose helps as it tends to expand more than the internal plumbing but I can still see a rise in pressure,
In a closed water heating system, thermal expansion pressure equals approximately 2.5 % of volume for every 100°F rise ( per: https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/H..._Expansion.php
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Old 06-07-2020, 12:29 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Scrapper View Post
From all the information I've seen Forest River tests your plumbing system to 100 psi. FR suggests 40 to 60 psi and recommend not to exceed 80 psi. Your water heater already has a pressure relief valve, also known as a T&P valve. It's the thing with the blue label and silver lever at top dead center of the attached photo (not the black rubber the finger is pointing at).

It's funny your the first person I know to complain with a pressure regulator installed the pressure is building up to unsafe levels. Most complain their T&P valve on the wh regularly spits a little water out. Have you ever flipped the lever on the T&P while the wh is cold to make sure the valve is not stuck?
Yes, the hot water heater has a release valve but if I’m not wrong most of these are set at 115 psi so if someone see them blead they probably have the same problem as I have seen. Some, if not all, of the back flow valves installed on the tap has a pressure release as well. I got different answers about their settings, but I believe that if the back pressure exceeds the incoming water pressure (city water pressure) they blead.
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Old 07-29-2020, 01:41 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by TitanMike View Post
A good solution that provides other benefits is adding an accumulator tank in your water system.

Here's one that's pre-pressurized. Any expansion is "absorbed" by the tank and pressure increase is way less than if the water had no where to go.



They sell for around $40 on Amazon or at many RV supply stores.

Is installed in the cold water line but does not need to be installed next to pump or city water inlet. If no space available it can be installed where there is room like under a sink, etc. Put it on the cold water line and any pressure increase will flow into the tank and be released when valve is opened anywhere in RV.

This tank also stores a small amount of water under pressure after the pump shuts down when it's the source of water. Enough to flush a toilet in the middle of the night without turning on the pump and waking other sleepers.

If installing, make sure to install vertically with fittings on bottom so when winterizing water will drain out.
I am always hooked up to city water and never use the pump. Will this accumulator help with maintaining a constant flow of water when a hot or cold water tap is turned on? Right now, turning on the tap the water starts out fine but then turns to a trickle and then pressure build back up to where it started and it fine.
Thanks in advance for any advice...
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Old 07-29-2020, 01:57 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by dangerruss View Post
I am always hooked up to city water and never use the pump. Will this accumulator help with maintaining a constant flow of water when a hot or cold water tap is turned on? Right now, turning on the tap the water starts out fine but then turns to a trickle and then pressure build back up to where it started and it fine.
Thanks in advance for any advice...
No, an accumulator won't help defeat the shortcomings of either a poor supply source or something restricting the flow between the source and the faucet.

I'd start by checking the flow at the hydrant then add whatever you have in between (filter/regulator/etc) piece by piece to determine what would make your water come and go.
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Old 07-29-2020, 02:20 PM   #9
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Right now the only thing between the supply and the trailer is a simple inline water pressure reducer... I am going back up late September to troubleshoot the issue. Thanks!
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Old 07-29-2020, 02:48 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by dangerruss View Post
Right now the only thing between the supply and the trailer is a simple inline water pressure reducer... I am going back up late September to troubleshoot the issue. Thanks!
A simple inline water pressure reducer is nothing more than a flow restricting orifice. That is likely what is causing your issue. What you need is an actual water pressure regulator:
https://www.amazon.com/Twinkle-Star-...6051853&sr=8-5

These type are spring loaded and they will "float" with demand. You open a faucet, pressure drops in the system, the regulator will open further to allow more flow, and thus keep the pressure set at what the regulator was set for (assuming you have enough supply pressure upstream of the regulator).

With the standard cheap RV inline [pressure reducer, the pressure is reduced by simply flowing through a fixed-size orifice. When you turn your inside faucet off, water will continue to flow through that fixed-sized orifice until pressure equalizes across it, which means the pressure in the RV plumbing system actually rises to the pressure of the water supply and it only gets reduced when you open a faucet in the RV..
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Old 07-29-2020, 02:58 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by NavyLCDR View Post
A simple inline water pressure reducer is nothing more than a flow restricting orifice. That is likely what is causing your issue. What you need is an actual water pressure regulator:
https://www.amazon.com/Twinkle-Star-...6051853&sr=8-5

These type are spring loaded and they will "float" with demand. You open a faucet, pressure drops in the system, the regulator will open further to allow more flow, and thus keep the pressure set at what the regulator was set for (assuming you have enough supply pressure upstream of the regulator).

With the standard cheap RV inline [pressure reducer, the pressure is reduced by simply flowing through a fixed-size orifice. When you turn your inside faucet off, water will continue to flow through that fixed-sized orifice until pressure equalizes across it, which means the pressure in the RV plumbing system actually rises to the pressure of the water supply and it only gets reduced when you open a faucet in the RV..
Sounds like a cheap and easy fix. I will order one today!
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Old 07-29-2020, 03:03 PM   #12
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Sounds like a cheap and easy fix. I will order one today!
I've got a version of the orifice type water pressure reducer that has a water pressure guage on the RV side. It is the orifice type, but it also has a spring loaded valve that will shut when the static pressure gets too high. When I connect it, the pressure gauge will rise up into the green area on the guage (>30 lbs). Then when I open a faucet in the RV, I can watch the pressure on the guage drop into the yellow area (I think between 20# and 30#). I've gotten pretty fed up with them and usually just remove the darn things altogether. One of these days, I might invest in the real water pressure regulator type.

I am a retired Navy machinist mate - which is the Navy's version of a limited use millwright. Pressure regulators was part of our skill set.
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