# PRV sound



## Dun' Right (Sep 27, 2010)

I did some plumbing for a lady that was remodeling her house. Installed new shower valve, tub, kitchen sink, water heater, expansion tank, RO system. I checked her water pressure before I started, and she was at 125 psi. I told her she needed a PRV, so we added it to the list, and I installed it before I turned the water back on. 

When I turned the water back on, I immediatly noticed a loud "groan" out of what I'm assuming was the PRV. The water is now at 50 psi. 

Now whenever the water is turned on, it starts groaning. I'm thinking my PRV is bad, but I've never had a PRV make sounds before. When they go bad, it's usually a change in pressure, either too much, or too little. 

I installed some hammer arrestors, thinking that it was some water hammer, but it didn't help. 

Any thoughts?


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Dun' Right said:


> I did some plumbing for a lady that was remodeling her house. Installed new shower valve, tub, kitchen sink, water heater, expansion tank, RO system. I checked her water pressure before I started, and she was at 125 psi. I told her she needed a PRV, so we added it to the list, and I installed it before I turned the water back on.
> 
> When I turned the water back on, I immediatly noticed a loud "groan" out of what I'm assuming was the PRV. The water is now at 50 psi.
> 
> ...


 Is it a Honeywell Dial Set (the ones with the green top)?

I had a few Honeywell's right in a row that did the exact same thing. I swapped them out with Legends and the problem went away.


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## Dun' Right (Sep 27, 2010)

It's a Watts. I take pictures of all the work I do, (try to unless I forget my camera). 

This is the beauty.


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

I/we like to install a pressure gauge before and after the prv makes adjustment easier also a bypass and iso valves. 


Back to the problem: the prv is probly defective change it out and see what happens. Also make sure that the sound is indeed coming from the prv that's why a bypass and iso valves come in handy.


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## Dun' Right (Sep 27, 2010)

I'm planning on going over there tomorrow to change it out. Was hoping somebody had this happen to them with a Watts PRV. 

As for the bypass, shutoffs, and guages, sounds like alot of extra cost to the customer IMO. How often would you ever have to bypass a prv. If it isn't working, I wouldn't recommend somebody bypassing the prv, to give an unsafe jolt of pressure to the plumbing system.


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## Hillside (Jan 22, 2010)

I've had one do it, if I'd adjust the pressure it would stop doing it for awhile then start up again, swap it out and you'll b fine


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## cityplumbing (Jun 12, 2010)

What happened to the top union?


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Dun' Right said:


> I'm planning on going over there tomorrow to change it out. Was hoping somebody had this happen to them with a Watts PRV.
> 
> As for the bypass, shutoffs, and guages, sounds like alot of extra cost to the customer IMO. How often would you ever have to bypass a prv. If it isn't working, I wouldn't recommend somebody bypassing the prv, to give an unsafe jolt of pressure to the plumbing system.


The idea of the bypass is for trouble shooting not for bypassing the device for the long haul because it's not working properly. Gauges are handy to have because pressure can be checked right at the prv before and after it, makes things alot easier. Iso valves are good for trouble shooting also and for when a new prv needs to be installed, the water can be easily shut off.


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

cityplumbing said:


> What happened to the top union?


 They only come with one onion.

You sure you're a Plumber?


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## PlungerJockey (Feb 19, 2010)

I've been working at a assisted living facility and I have changed several of the Watts regulators that were giving off the goan. I have never had a new one do it. We install Wilkins. This place I work at is about a year old.


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## cityplumbing (Jun 12, 2010)

Widdershins said:


> They only come with one onion.
> 
> You sure you're a Plumber?


Looks like the threads are for a union to me. Since when is asking a question a bad thing. I would be worried about the plumbers who don't ask questions and act like they know everything.. Buddy!!


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## robwilliams (May 6, 2011)

I put onions on my hamburgers.


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

cityplumbing said:


> Looks like the threads are for a union to me. Since when is asking a question a bad thing. I would be worried about the plumbers who don't ask questions and act like they know everything.. Buddy!!


 My bad.

They are threaded at both ends for a union -- They are also threaded internally at both ends for an MIP.

Why they ship with only one union instead of two is beyond me.

And ignore the barb -- I've seen your work. I know you're a Plumber.


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## cityplumbing (Jun 12, 2010)

What's a barb?


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

cityplumbing said:


> What's a barb?


 Barb, jab, the comment he made about you not being a plumber is a barb or a sharp jab.....at least tht is the way I took it.


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## cityplumbing (Jun 12, 2010)

Thanks, haven't heard that before "barb". Jab, I'm familiar with though.


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

cityplumbing said:


> What's a barb?


Streisand, Walters, Bach, Billingsley....so on and so forth...


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## cityplumbing (Jun 12, 2010)

Thank you, I can see you know your Barbs.


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

cityplumbing said:


> Thank you, I can see you know your Barbs.


That could be taken as a barb....

Oh yeah....Bush..


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## cityplumbing (Jun 12, 2010)

Airgap said:


> That could be taken as a barb....
> 
> Oh yeah....Bush..


I'm not the barb type..


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Is that meant to be installed vertically or horizontally? Does it matter?


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

422 plumber said:


> Is that meant to be installed vertically or horizontally? Does it matter?


Doesn't matter, as long as the arrow is pointing the right direction.:laughing:

I've installed about a bazillion Watts PRVs. Sometimes you get a groaner. I agree with the other guys, just swap it out.


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Yup.. they all seem to groan, whether I screw them vertically or horizontally... :jester:


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

U666A said:


> Yup.. they all seem to groan, whether I screw them vertically or horizontally... :jester:


(sigh)


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

widdershins said:


> they only come with one onion.
> 
> You sure you're a plumber?



*n55 bu2*


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

That looks like a Watts N45, interchangeable internals to the N55.


Watts has problems with these... if you complain (by installing numerous valves such as these) they'll send you a case of the cartridges for the insides.


I've had about 7 bad ones out of 300+ prvs.


But I seem to remember the bad ones over all the good ones. 


Cuz it hurts, financially. 


The 25AUB34 Z3 is going to be the most reliable PRV that Watts makes in the residential application.


You couldn't pay me to install anything with the Wilkins name on it.


Just today, house with a blown PRV, it was a wilkins, always.


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## Dun' Right (Sep 27, 2010)

Thanks for the input guys. It sucks to make a second trip out there, but oh well. I made quite a bit from the job, so I gotta keep her happy. :thumbup:


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## robwilliams (May 6, 2011)

Dun' Right said:


> Thanks for the input guys. It sucks to make a second trip out there, but oh well. I made quite a bit from the job, so I gotta keep her happy. :thumbup:


This is exactly why I tell my son, you can't perform work for little or nothing. He is always telling me, we should give this person a price break because they are old, or, from the looks of their house, they don't have much. I tell him, if you don't make your money up front, you never get a chance to make it up on a call back, without leaving a bad taste in the customer's mouth. You make your money up front, by charging your full price and if you have to go back, you go back. If you performed this work for reduced price, you would not want to go back. I can't tell you how many times I get calls from customers telling me, oh, I had this boiler installed by a friend of a friend who was doing this as side work. He installed the boiler real cheap, but I can't get him to come back to fix it now. If you give people a price break, it will come back and bite you later. Every job I have done for reduced price or for free has been nothing but a big headache. Most of those jobs were for family and close friends. No good deed goes unpunished. Some words to live by.

Thanks for reading.


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

DUNBAR PLUMBING said:


> The 25AUB34 Z3 is going to be the most reliable PRV that Watts makes in the residential application.


I've installed Watts 25AUB's all my plumbing life (long time, and a LOT of PRVs) and never, ever heard one groan. Actually I've never had any problem of any kind with them. They're good.

I installed Conbraco's (don't know the model #) for a while. They're pretty good. But I had two of their unions split and flood houses. I quit buying them after the first split one. Can't tolerate that kind of crap. Back to Watts.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

futz said:


> I've installed Watts 25AUB's all my plumbing life (long time, and a LOT of PRVs) and never, ever heard one groan. Actually I've never had any problem of any kind with them. They're good.
> 
> I installed Conbraco's (don't know the model #) for a while. They're pretty good. But I had two of their unions split and flood houses. I quit buying them after the first split one. Can't tolerate that kind of crap. Back to Watts.


 
They are very reliable, but the reason I switched to N55's was the ability to get the double 3/4" sweat unions on both sides. Now that the N55 disappeared, the N45 is the replacement with the hard plastic spun cap.


Considerable price difference between those two (Z3 and N45)

A Z3 will hold back extreme high pressure off the main with no issue. An N45 most likely will give in over time.

Reminds me of one of those 7 that bit me after the sale. 


But for the rest, the N55/N45 is nice because it's short, easy to get inside access panels.


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

Have another barb on me, City.








This would make you groan vertically or horizontally.


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## MikeS (Oct 3, 2011)

Dun' Right said:


> It's a Watts. I take pictures of all the work I do, (try to unless I forget my camera).
> 
> This is the beauty.


 Just had one of these exact valves groaning today. I remembered this thread, and, promptly replaced it with a Wilkens. Best part was, connections were the same. Unions on both sides, and, they interchanged no problem.


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## Dun' Right (Sep 27, 2010)

Went out today, (yesterday now I guess...), and changed out the valve. I replaced it with a different watt's model. I'll do some looking and let you know which one. It was deff. a heavier duty model. Turned the water on, and there was peace on earth again.


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Dun' Right said:


> Went out today, (yesterday now I guess...), and changed out the valve. I replaced it with a different watt's model. I'll do some looking and let you know which one. It was deff. a heavier duty model. Turned the water on, and there was peace on earth again.


Glad to hear that, good job


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