Signs your PRV has failed
Banging or hammering pipes, faucets that blast or barely trickle, running toilets, a water heater relief valve that keeps weeping, or pressure that swings around through the day are the usual signs. A PRV that's stuck — open or closed — produces exactly these symptoms, and they tend to get worse, not better.
Why it protects the whole house
Excess pressure is a quiet wrecking ball: it stresses every joint, valve, and appliance and shortens the life of your water heater and fixtures. A working PRV protects all of it. If your home doesn't have one — or has an old one that's stuck — it's an inexpensive part that prevents expensive damage.
How a PRV works
It sits where city water enters the home and uses a spring-loaded valve to drop incoming pressure to a steady, safe level — typically around 50–60 psi — no matter how high or how variable the street pressure is. Over years, the internal spring and seat wear and the valve stops regulating, which is when the symptoms show up.
What we do
We measure your actual pressure at the hose bib with a gauge, confirm whether the PRV is the cause, and adjust, rebuild, or replace it to bring the house back into range. If there's no regulator at all and your street pressure is high, we install one — and check for a thermal expansion issue at the water heater while we're at it.
Where it's installed
The regulator goes on the main line where water enters the home, usually near the meter or where the line comes through the wall. We make sure it's accessible for future service and, where appropriate, pair it with the right shutoff so the whole supply can be isolated cleanly.
Signs it’s time to call
- Banging or hammering pipes
- Water pressure too high or too low
- Faucets that blast or barely trickle
- Water heater relief valve drips repeatedly
- Pressure that fluctuates throughout the day
- No regulator on the home, or a stuck old one
