GLBosn
Grovetown, GA
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Joined: 02/28/2003
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When using an exterior water filter such as the System IV, do you remove the water pressure regulator.
I can imagine a no more rewarding career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worth while, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: "I served in the United States Navy." JFK
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John Wayne
Long Beach, Ca
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I don't I run them both,
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richmondmj
St. Cloud, Fl , USA
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Water filters do not regulate the pressure although they often slow down the flow rate. You still need to use a pressure regulator to protect your plumbing. Some items are made to withstand 100psi (PEX tubing) but many are only safe at 45-50psi like some seals. The RV toilets are an example. RVIA requires that RV plumbing systems be tested at 80psi but they aren't meant to withstand that pressure. Many people confuse pressure with flow rate and that can be dangerous or at least messy and cause problems. Use the regulator if you want to protect your plumbing and not find a leak at the worse possible time. If the filter reduces flow too much for you switch to a sediment only type outside with a higher flow rate and use a point of use filter for drinking/cooking water only at the kitchen sink.
Mike
2001 Lazy Daze 26.5MB
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ollie1shoe
centre al
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Joined: 09/24/2001
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on the topic of water pressure does everyone have low pressurin the shower we use water pump and water hooked up also just to get the soap out of my hair is there any way to help this problem
ollie1shoe 2002 35u winnabago adventurer toad 07 ford edge with brake buddy & our little mute(Brillo)
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Sunbird
Clearwater FL
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Joined: 09/21/2001
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We have low shower pressure in our new rig. I suspect it is because of the built in filter. I am going to try by-passing it. If it is the culprit I will probably move to where it will only filter the water to the galley.
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gypsyone
West coast of Canada
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Let me just add that no matter the type of cartage you are using, they should be changed every 3 months and before installing a new filter put a little house hold bleach in the canister for 24 hours if possible. Then rinse the cartage good and install the new filter. Having been in the water business for a good manny years I say this with some expertize. The manufactures recommend 3 months per filter and the bleach kills bacteria on contact so the longer the better. This also is good for the water tank, hoses and any other fitting in contact with your potable water. To carry this one step further the best protection is a distiller. If you need any clarification on any water problem email me and I will try to be of assistance.
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richmondmj
St. Cloud, Fl , USA
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Geeky,
The little water pressure regulators are supposed to regulate static pressure but they also restrict flow through the tiny orifices in them so they also affect dynamic pressure. If they only regulated dynamic pressure they wouldn't be effective at eliminating many pressure related problems in homes or RVs like bursting pipes while you're gone and not running the water. I was wrong in that today’s RVs are typically tested at 100psi though I think RVIA still only requires 80psi testing. The lower pressure was adopted when RVs used polybutylene plumbing up until the late '90s before switching to PEX. Those with PB plumbing should be very careful about the pressure they use because PB has been shown to be a problem and not only with fittings but the pipe itself. The Class Action suits on it don't cover RVs or boats because they felt they weren't used constantly and had less chance of failure due to less contact with chlorinated water. Unless it is used by a fulltime RVer or Boater! The page below explains pressure and flow pretty well and they have some good products as well. The water softener they sell is a good item to have and had I found this page before I bought mine at CW I would have bought from them because it has brass fittings instead of plastic. Otherwise it is very similar to the one at CW in most regards. I bought mine with a 15% off coupon and PC member price so it cost me a little less but their price is about the same as the PC member price at CW.
http://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/ABPressure.htm
That site also sells pre-assembled home/industrial pressure regulators for use with RVs and they improve flow due to the larger orifices in them. You can make your own with parts bought from home improvement or hardware stores or plumbing supply stores. You can also improve flow using two or more of the standard small cheap regulators and a manifold. From what I've read that actually gives better flow than the home/industrial type regulators. They discuss this on the following web page and on others also. The page shows how they made their own regulator using a home type but they could have done it without using the hose and hose clamps and just used pipe to hose fittings.
http://damouth.home.attbi.com/RVStuff/PressReg.htm
With most RVs when people say they hook to city water and use the pump to get better pressure most often they aren't using the city water at all and only the fresh water from their tank because most RVs cut off city water when you use the pump to protect the pump and prevent backflow of water into the city water possibly contaminating it. All RVs have a backflow preventer on the city water hook-up and they normally close when the pump is on. They do have high-pressure low flow rate showerheads that give better pressure at a low flow rate saving water. Many RVs have them standard but not all do.
Keeping the regulator clean also helps because they do build up mineral deposits in the small orifices. It's a good idea to soak them overnight in vinegar at least annually to remove the build-up and keep the flow as high as possible.
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jim&kathy
north tx.
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Joined: 10/18/2002
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richmondmj,
thanks for a very informative post and links.
i think this should be added to the FAQ post. jim
*This Message was edited on 12-Mar-03 03:52 PM by jim&kathy*
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Geeky
New Mexico
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That’s one FAQ that I never was happy with the answer. Do the little brass <$20 pressure regulators regulate static pressure to 25-30 psi? Or do they just regulate dynamic pressure?
I would say any restriction that is reducing flow rate would also reduce dynamic pressure.
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Geeky
New Mexico
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Thanks richmondmj I feel "more better" now. Great info.
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