Shore water supply - pressure regulator needed?

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Terrell1959

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Jan 2, 2012
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Is a pressure regulator needed when hooking up to a campground water supply, or is the plumbing rated for up to 80-90 psig of water pressure?
2006 Keystone Raptor
 
I would suggest getting an regulator just to be safe and they are not that expensive.  I put one in and never had a problem with the plumbing.
 
Not always but sometimes yes. Problem is you don't know beforehand so have one on board. They're not that expensive. After going thru many, I would suggest one that is adjustable.
 
For around $30, go to Lowes and buy a Watts adjustable regulator, a male and female hose fitting for it, and never worry about it again.

While there you can get a pressure gauge that screws on the hose bib to check pressure
 
Get one for sure... there's another posting today on another forum about another MH hooked up without a regulator / pressure retrictor .. and he's now got leaks in his plumbing... inside the walls areas...May be major problem ...... just not worth the riusk of $10 or so.....
 
Yes,  get water regulator if you want to use "city water".  We saw one at Circus Circus in Las Vegas with water leaking out of the door. The leak was at the fitting to the water regular.  That is when we got one.  I wanted the water pressure reduced before it gets near where it can do any damage.  And also put on of those stainless steel strainers (like washing machines have)  Helps keep little tiny stuff from plugging up shower head and other water supply stuff.
And more importantly or informational is that we very seldom use "city water" supply anymore.  After several water leaks over the years we only use the self contained mode.  Our thinking is if we do get a leak we will only have so many gallons, where as city water supply you could be moping up for a long time.  And you can also hear the water pump running.  Which is a alarm by itself; If the pump runs or "burbs" when you are not using water, could be a leak somewhere. At least that has been our experience. 
 
Sometimes there are signs when you check in at a campground that specify their high water pressure, for example 100 psi.  We've even seen some that say campers MUST use a regulator because they have such high pressure.  We always use one.  Better safe than sorry.

ArdraF
 
Most starter packs that come with your trailer have a regulator in it. Use at least that. Better yet get you a watts adjustable as mentioned above.
In the park i am long termed parked we have pressure spikes from 65psi to 100psi depends on how many campers are hooked up at any given time.
 
Hi,

I'll vote for the regulator and further, get a quality regulator. The $10 specials (small brass tubular thingy) may only regulate effectively when water is flowing.

I bought an adjustable regulator with a pressure gauge from Camping World (of all places) for about $60 that works quite well. I actually had "drips" from the bathroom sink connections that went away when I installed the regulator and set it for 40 PSI (I'm sure I'll have to fix the leak, but I've got time now).

Hope this helps,

Ernie

PS The Oxygenics shower head works very well at that pressure and flow).
 
You definitely want a regulator

Typically the water pump in your camper has the shut off switch factory set to 45psi, which is plenty of pressure for even rigs with a clothes washer installed. Use that 45psi as a datum point whenever you are looking at the pressure coming into your rig.

I also agree that having a regulator that is adjustable is a real good idea, although I can't remember the last time I fiddled with mine. If you're mechanically inclined you might be able to scrounge the parts to build one cheaper than buying a purpose built one for RV's but the last time I left mine at a campground and had to replace it I just bought one.

The little brass ones that cost around $10 are basically junk though. They give you a warm fuzzy feeling right up until there's a problem then that $10 won't seem like such a good deal.

I also HIGHLY recommend some sort of filtration. Whether it's one of the cheapy blue ones that you can get at China-Mart or one that carries at least one 5 micron cartridge, a filter will save you a world of headaches somewhere down the road.
 
RVs built in (roughly) the last 12 years had their plumbing pressure tested to 100 psi, but after knocking around the highways for awhile may not be still capable of handling that much.  I would suggest a regulator if city water pressure exceeds 65 psi, just to be safe.

Older RVs were pressure tested to a lower standard, so may not be capable for more than 60 psi.
 
Have seen quite a few units this year due to increased pressure and no regulator , start flowing out the pressure relief as well. When water heated, and more pressure on system, that valve can start to leak pretty good.  Although most lines say 90 psi + , a sudden pressure surge ( which would be protected by regulator) can certainly make any poor crimp or weak spot in line start to leak.  A cheap insurance policy, go with it.
 
I will second what Gary said.. Some of the parks I stay in use well water and have their pumps set to like 55 PSI max give or take a PSI or two, No problem with those.

The park I'm in now has city water and has recorded pressures over 100 PSI, I've seen ends blown off hoses in the park myself.  I have not... Personally... Seen damage to an RV  but I've seen the end blown off a hose or two.

I use a 2 stage regulator when I'm here unless I'm using the fill and store method (Which I am just now)

A Watts set to around 60 PSI at the hydrant, then hose, filter and a 50 PSI Sureflo.

The Sureflo does slightly restrict flow.. I may, go to all watts this summer and just single stage.. I've not tested my home made filter for flow rate (The reason I use the 2 stage is because of pressure loss in commercial filters, but I built my home made one with a much larger cross sectional area)
 
Foto-n-T said:
You definitely want a regulator

The little brass ones that cost around $10 are basically junk though.
Click to expand...
.

I wounder how many people have had problems with the brass one. I have used little brass ones for the past 15 years with no problems. Any product made is subject to certain amount of failure.
 
eliallen said:
I wounder how many people have had problems with the brass one. I have used little brass ones for the past 15 years with no problems. Any product made is subject to certain amount of failure.
Click to expand...

I think you may find that in situations where you have fairly high incoming pressure the brass regulators have a tendency to "leak pressure" and over time the regulated pressure slowly goes up to essentially as high as he incoming pressure. That is what I found in several situations where the incoming pressure was close to 100 psi with three different brass regulators. I finally went with a whole house regulator which is adjustable and never have had that problem again. In addition, I found that the brass regulators restrict water flow.

BTW, how many people actually have a gauge in their RV so that they can monitor the actual pressure on their system. I installed one years ago, and was surprised at the pressure increase that occurs when the water heater is started with cold water.

Richard
 
eliallen said:
I wounder how many people have had problems with the brass one. I have used little brass ones for the past 15 years with no problems. Any product made is subject to certain amount of failure.
Click to expand...
Interesting.  The last couple of cheapo brass regulators I've had failed in the other direction - just cut the water off.

I've decided it is easier for me to just operate off my fresh water tank and refill it when necessary.  That way city water pressure does not come into play and if I do have a leak, the pump cycling when we're not running water tells me about it.
 
I would not be without a water pressure regulator, I have seen 105 lbs psi at a couple of parks.
 
BTW, how many people actually have a gauge in their RV so that they can monitor the actual pressure on their system. I installed one years ago, and was surprised at the pressure increase that occurs when the water heater is started with cold water.
Click to expand...

Water expands as it heated.  With one-way valves at the city water inlet and at the water pump the RV has a sealed water system with no place for that expanding water to go.  An accumulator tank solves that problem so the system pressure doesn't rise.

Put it on the cold water side of the system and it smooths out your water pump operation, too.
 
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