Water Pressure

[John Allingham]

Is there an accepted method to test for proper water pressure at the fixtures. What do others do?
Putting a guage on the hose bib will tell you what the pressure is in the main but it won't tell you if the curb valve is partially closed.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

A partially closed valve will not effect static pressure, it will only effect volume. I usually check pressure at the water heater (many will advise against that), because the pressure at the heater will be (should be) the same as the house-fixtures and appliances.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by jpope

A partially closed valve will not affect static pressure, it will only affect volume. I usually check pressure at the water heater (many will advise against that), because the pressure at the heater will be (should be) the same as the house-fixtures and appliances.

I would advice against but only because of the high probability it would leak afterward because of the high calcium content in our water(especially well water) the valve often gets sediment in it ans will not seal.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

I carry caps for that eventuality. . .

[John Allingham]

Originally Posted by jpope

A partially closed valve will not effect static pressure, it will only effect volume. I usually check pressure at the water heater (many will advise against that), because the pressure at the heater will be (should be) the same as the house-fixtures and appliances.

But volume (ie flow) is what people care about. I agree that a pressure test at the hose bib or water heater only tells you the static pressure and will not indicate a partially closed curb valve.

[Michael Larson]

John,

Run the sink, run the tub and while they are flowing flush the toilet and observe any changes in flow rate.

It's called functional flow.

Report what you observe and move on.

[Brian E. Kelly]

Originally Posted by mlarson

John,

Run the sink, run the tub and while they are flowing flush the toilet and observe any changes in flow rate.

It's called functional flow.

Report what you observe and move on.

Bingo.

[David P. Valley]

I don't check the pressure unless I see issues while running the entire bathroom, which is rare.

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

David, the first 2 years I was in business, I never tested pressure either unless I suspected a problem. I now test every home and about 40% of them are either too high or too low in pressure. Most of those cases are excessive pressure.

Functional flow often seems OK even with 30 psi water pressure. You actually usually get very good functional flow with 120 psi water pressure! A pressure test on every home would be a wise thing to do in my opinion. If there is a plumbing failure due to excessive water pressure, guess who will get a call?

[David P. Valley]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

If there is a plumbing failure due to excessive water pressure, guess who will get a call?

Over 3,000 inspections performed with no pressure tests and I'm still waiting for that call.

[David A. Andersen]

Another "component assessment"?

Only functional flow "observations" required here.

There are other observations that indicate excessive pressure, at which time I test.

I would test pressure more but I can't seem to keep a calibrated gauge around. They freeze, get dropped, dropped on in the tool bag...

High pressure and compression fittings and plastic pipe don't go well together.

Pressure Regulating valves fail quite often. Who's to prove the pressure at the time of inspection?

A partial closed valve is only a problem when the "functional flow" test fails.

Mr. Pope, why don't you like to use hose bibs?
I like to keep the water leaks outside the house.
I am also gun shy around those blow down valves on the water heater. Most here are plastic, and don't do well over time when associated with heat.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Originally Posted by dandersen

Mr. Pope, why don't you like to use hose bibs?

Many times, the hose bibs are not regulated. The water heater is part of the "house" system and will reflect the same pressure that will be found at all interior fixtures and appliances.

Good judgement should always be used. If the heater is old, or if there are indications that there will be any problem, I will look for an alternate source.

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Originally Posted by jpope

Many times, the hose bibs are not regulated.

Seems like all the more reason to test the hose bibs. Wouldn't you want to know if that part of the system is excessively high? There are fittings there too that are subject to failure.

[Richard Mangold]

The NACHI standard states: "Inspect and report as in need of repair deficiencies in the water supply by viewing the functional flow in two fixtures operated simultaneously."

Isn't anything beyond visual (use of pressure guage) increasing your risk when you go beyond visual and reporting your observation?

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

Seems like all the more reason to test the hose bibs. Wouldn't you want to know if that part of the system is excessively high? There are fittings there too that are subject to failure.

Many times, hose bibs are not part of the house system. Separate piping is often installed for irrigation and other uses. Only the house/building supply requires regulation if the pressure exceeds 80 psi. There is no such requirement for piping outside of the building/house.