It is possible to fix this, but it’s going to result in a lot of wasted water, and over time, the faucet’s only going to wear out again. Not to mention when you turn on the water, it will simply spew out at an alarming rate rather than at a much easier and more controllable flow.

We include photographs of common pressure reducer valves and water feeders used on hot water heating boilers to aid in product identification, links to installation manuals, safety warnings, installation and pressure reducer / water feeder safety and maintenance tips.

The device to the right of the automatic pressure reducer (water feed valve) in our photo above is a back-flow preventer that is required in some municipalities. The back-flow preventer makes sure that water from inside the heating boiler cannot flow backwards into the building (and community) water supply. This prevents back-contamination of potable water piping from the boiler should the building water pressure fail.

If you notice water leaking from your water pressure regulator, it may be time for a replacement. It’s essential to address this problem as soon as possible because faulty water pressure regulator symptoms can lead to costly water damage.

In my [DF] opinion, a typical building owner or occupant almost never thinks to check the water level in a hydronic heating system (hot water boiler) until there is some indication of a problem (like no heat or a damaged leaky boiler).

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Tom Sherman - President, Absolute Home Inspection, Inc., 315-673-1755 provided this photo of a tied-off pressure-reducer water-feed valve and asked what we'd say about it, for an ASHI home inspector newsletter.

Water pressureregulator

In our photo at left the gold colored bell-shaped device pointed to by the red arrow is an automatic pressure-reducing & water feed valve for a hot water boiler.

OPINION: on a hot water heating boiler that does not have a low-water cutoff valve installed, we would be reluctant to leave the building unattended for weeks or months during the heating season with the boiler water supply shutoff valve in the closed position.

Well yes, and no. The valve can automatically feed water into a hot water heating boiler whose pressure falls below the set-pressure (12 psi at factory setting) if the water shutoff valve for the boiler has been left "on".

Have you ever noticed how when you turn your water faucet on, the water tends to come out at a pretty consistent pressure level? This is largely thanks to a small device on your main water line known as a pressure reducing valve, or PRV for short.

But a more likely reason this valve was tied OFF or CLOSED was that it was leaking, feeding excess water pressure to the boiler on its own. One of the failure modes of these valves is that the valve begins to feed water when it should not. That can happen due to dirt and debris in the valve or for other reasons. Someone was trying to force the valve to behave itself.

But in most cases you should leave the water feeder at the psi set by the installer (typical factory setting is 12 psi) unless the building has unusual conditions (such as more than two stories) that require a higher in-boiler starting water pressure.

B&G wants you to keep the boiler water supply valve shut except during service - as a precaution that allows easy detection of a boiler leak by noticing the reduced water pressure in that system.

In fact, high water pressure and hard water are two of the most common reasons why a water-connected appliance experiences a breakdown.

Safety note: If the pressure reducing valve is combined with a pressure relief valve, for safety these parts must be installed in the correct position.

Water valve

The separate heating system backflow preventer / check valve indicated by our green arrow in the photo above is discussed in more detail

The company also points out that too-frequent feeding of water into a heating system can increase the effects of corrosion and system damage.

But a hot water heating system might have a tiny, small, even hard-to-find water leak that goes un-noticed for some time, especially if the boiler water supply valve is kept open so that the pressure valve also feeds a little makeup water into the boiler when needed.

The horizontal lever is a bypass that will send water through the valve on to the boiler at full building pressure (it's normally left "off" in the position shown here).

The water pressure in the city’s main water network is usually far too high for most homes to effectively use and is also prone to fluctuations as homes increase and decrease their water usage needs. A PRV reduces the high pressure and evens out the ebbs and flows, so the water entering your home is both at a manageable and even pressure level.

Sometimes the hammer is soft and barely noticeable, while in other instances, it’s significantly louder and difficult to ignore. In either case, this signals a potentially serious problem may not be far off.

The override lever is used to put the water feed valve into "bypass mode" by lifting the lever to a 90-degree position above the water piping and valve body - meaning that the valve is manually forced "open" to allow water to enter the heating boiler at whatever pressure is on the inlet side of the valve.

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The tank below the red arrow is, of course, an expansion tank. We discuss expansion tanks and their troubleshooting or maintenance at EXPANSION TANKS.

WATER FEEDER VALVE, HYDRONIC BOILER at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Conversely, on a steam heating system the boiler is expected to consume water at every operating cycle - the feed frequency is therefore much greater on a steam boiler and this B&G pressure reducer/water feeder would not be the proper device to use for water feeding.

In our experience most hydronic heating boiler installers and service techs leave that shutoff valve "open" or "on" so that the boiler won't be at risk of being ruined or unsafe by operating at low or no-water level - their experience may be similar to mine.

Hydronic (hot water boilers) in proper condition do not normally consume any water. Once the boiler and the baseboard, radiator, or convector piping are connected and filled with water, that same water remains in the system indefinitely.

We would think about leaving the water supply valve open - not what B&G recommends. That way if a small leak develops we're not at risk of destroying the boiler by firing it without adequate water in the system.

In fact if you see the pressure set higher on a residential system it is often an indicator that the occupants/technician have been having trouble getting the steam heat to locations where it's needed.

However, how often you should replace water pressure regulators can depend on a few factors. For example, your PRV usage can influence how often you need a pressure regulator valve replacement. The more you use your PRV, the more wear and tear it will endure.

That device, always present on steam boilers, is required by local codes in some jurisdictions for hydronic heating boilers too.See LOW WATER CUTOFF VALVES.

A safety improvement on hydronic boilers that gets around this argument is to add a low-water cutoff on residential hydronic heating boilers (hot water heating boilers).

the pressure relief valve should always be installed closest to the heating boiler so that it can respond to an overpressure in the heating system.

Hydronic heating systems (hot water) typically operate at about 12 psi cold and see a pressure increase to somewhere just under 30 psi when the system is at maximum temperature.

When the pressure in your pipes is too high, it puts a lot of strain on the pipes themselves as well as all of the joints and fittings where they are pieced together. All this extra pressure is particularly bad on the weak points in your plumbing, and yes, every home has weak points.

The manufacturer is telling you what's safe in some regards, but they may not have the same view of what people actually do in the field.

When you turn the water off, do you notice a sudden loud thumping or banging from inside your walls? This is the previously-alleviated extra pressure suddenly building up and putting stress on your pipes again. This creates a vibration in the pipe, which can cause the pipe to move and create the hammering noise.

If the valve were in manual OPEN mode, the lever would be at right angles to the piping and valve body - its handle would be over the adjustment screw shown in the center of the valve top. So this valve is in the CLOSED position.

Guardian Plumbing is very professional, they answer your questions and very knowledgeable. They also walk you through of what they’re going to do.

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PRVvalve

The B&G pressure reducing valve shown at left includes a bypass lever shown in the "up" or "open" position in the illustration. In this position water is fed into the boiler at street pressure. When the valve is "down" in the "closed" position, IF the shutoff valve before the pressure reducer is open, water is fed to the boiler if its pressure drops below the valve's pressure setting (adjusted by the lock-nut and screw on the valve top).

Steam heating systems without an automatic water feeder are less safe and risk serious boiler damage should boiler water be lost and should there be no low water cutoff installed on the system.

Our photo at above left shows an Armstrong™ pressure reducing valve. The schematic at above right, courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, explains how this pressure reducing valve works.

Here we explain hot water boiler (hydronic heat) pressure reducing valves and types of manual and automatic water feeder valves used on hot water heating boilers, including when and how to add makeup water to a boiler.

Because a hydronic heating system's circulator pump has little "lift" capacity (it just pushes the water around the loop of boiler and heating piping and radiators), the heating system depends on its internal water pressure to lift hot water to radiators (baseboards, or convectors) on upper floors in the building.

If you set the water feeder pressure too high it's likely that when the boiler heats-up to operating temperature, the water pressure will exceed the safety limit (30 psi) and the boiler relief valve will open to discharge excess pressure and water.

This automatic water fill valve is not adjustable by the consumer and is factory-set to add water to the heating boiler whenever the system pressure falls below 12 psi.

On these older systems the "automatic water feeder" is often a bell-shaped device which opens and sends makeup water into the heating boiler and its piping whenever the heating system's internal water pressure falls below a normal level (perhaps 12 psi when the boiler is cold).

You can identify a leaking main water pressure regulator by looking for water on the floor or on the regulator itself. Find your water meter, which is usually located in the basement, and look for a bell-shaped device right next to it. This is your water pressure regulator, and it should look something like this:

The lever on the top of this valve combines a full-open bypass (when the lever is vertical) and a set-pressure adjusting locknut (below the round lever body).

Pressureregulatingvalve

"It is not a safety device and is not intended to be used as as a water feed valve to control boiler water at a safe operating level".

But the manufacturer warns that the purpose of the pressure-reducing (and automagic water feeding) valve is to fill heating boilers after installation or servicing. The company says

However, low weather pressure isn’t always a sign of a bad water pressure regulator. Check to see if you have poor water pressure for your hot and cold water. If you only notice a problem with your hot water, then a malfunctioning water heater may be to blame. Contact a Wildomar plumber to inspect further and provide a professional diagnosis.

Don’t merely brush off these noisy signs that your water pressure regulator is bad. Get in touch with a professional right away to repair or replace the water pressure regulator.

Your home’s appliances are all similar to faucets in that they need to be able to turn the water on and off. So when the pressure builds up too high, this could present all sorts of problems for your water heater, washing machine, reverse osmosis or another type of water filtration system, dishwasher, and so much more.

An arrow cast into the valve base shows the direction of water flow (from building supply at right into the boiler at left in this photo).

Everyone I spoke to was courteous informative and made an emergency situation where my ceiling was leaking a lot less stressful and I very much appreciate that.

The screw and lock nut on top of this valve permit adjustment of the automatic water feeder valve pressure (it's normally set to 12 psi).

(The heating boiler, not shown here, is always on the outlet side of the valve, and on most of these controls an arrow cast into the valve body indicates the intended direction of water flow.

Our photo (left) shows another model of pressure reducer valve on the water supply line to an Energy Kinetics oil fired heating boiler.

A chart illustrates the adjustment to heating boiler operating pressure as a function of building height or the number of floors in a building being heated.

The photo above shows a modern automatic pressure-reducing water feeder valve on a hydronic (hot water) heating boiler - one of the safety controls which we discuss in this article. Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

This violates the B&G installation instructions for their pressure reducing valve - so be sure to review this concern with your trained, heating service company service manager.

Keeping the proper amount of water in a steam boiler is a critical function for both safety and to avoid damaging the boiler itself. So on a steam boiler we consider the automatic water feeder to serve as a safety device too. Water feed valves on steam heat systems operate under very different requirements than those on hot water (hydronic) heating systems.

This article series answers nearly all questions about Heating System Boiler Controls on central heating systems to aid in troubleshooting, inspection, diagnosis, and repairs.

Do you need your pressure regulator valve repair? Or, if you have an old water pressure regulator, is it time for a replacement? Don’t simply endure inconvenient water pressure regulator problems.

Some older heating systems may not have an automatic water feeder and may only provide a manually operated valve to add water to the boiler. To maintain the water level in these heating systems, water can be added from the building water supply piping manually by simply opening a make-up valve.

When the pressure becomes too much, the weak point gives out, and suddenly you’re facing a plumbing leak. Most plumbing leaks are small, which makes them difficult to detect and capable of wreaking some serious havoc on your home. However, big plumbing leaks can deal with an unbelievable amount of damage in a short period of time.

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The valve valve, this one is a B&G model, has the job of feeding makeup water to the heating boiler should the water pressure in the heating system fall below the set-pressure on the valve - typically 12 psi for most one or two story residential buildings, though the set pressure may need to be higher in taller structures.

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... the manufacturer warns that the purpose of the pressure-reducing (and automagic water feeding) valve is to fill heating boilers after installation or servicing. The company says

Water leaks are one of the most common water pressure regulator problems and can be a significant indication that you need to replace the water pressure regulator. This is a sign that the gaskets and other parts of your faucet have started to wear out and crack under the stress caused by high water pressure.

In the company's service manual you'll see on the installation piping sketch (edited) for the pressure reducing valve (green, to the right of the blue shutoff valve at the left side of the sketch below) that they expect the installer to include a water shutoff valve (blue at the left end of the sketch below) before this pressure reducer.

In our photo we've drawn a blue arrow showing the direction of water flow for this valve. Click the image to see an enlarged version.

As regular customers for our house and Rental Properties Guardian Plumbers always provides great customer service, prompt repairs at a great price with excellent work.

The vertical copper pipe is feeding water from the building supply, at building water pressure into the brass valve and through it, upwards into the heating system distribution piping through the silver painted cast iron air purge valve.

Home inspectors are expected to be competent to recognize conditions at a home that are improper, unsafe, not functional, etc. provided that the problem or component is readily accessible, visible, and under some other conditions.

In normal use, a hydronic or hot water heating system does not consume any water. Only if there is a leak (or during service) would the water level in a hot water heating system drop and need replenishment.

Pressureregulator

An automatic water feeder valve is included as part of some heating system expansion tanks on hydronic heating boilers - in a single unit such as those provided by Amtrol™, Extrol™, Fill-Trol™, or similar expansion tanks.

All steam heat systems all consume some water which escapes from radiator air vents during the time that the steam (heat) is first rising in the building. So unlike a hydronic water feeder, the steam boiler water feeder is going to be much busier, regularly adding makeup water to the steam boiler, but operating at low water pressures.

Watch out: this is not only an improper heating system operating setup, it is potentially (though subtly) quite dangerous:

But as with any part of your plumbing system, your PRV can wear out after a while, and a broken or worn PRV can cause some serious potential issues for your home. If you want to avoid these issues and the repercussions they can have on your plumbing system, you need to have a professional Riverside County plumber come to your home and replace your PRV as soon as possible.

The expert and highly qualified team of professional plumbers at Guardian Plumbers can help! We provide an array of residential plumbing services in Wildomar, CA. You can count on us to replace water pressure regulators with customer satisfaction in mind.

Water may be lost from a hot water heating system, however, due to a small leak that may be un-noticed, or water may be removed from the system during servicing.

B&G offers some excellent tips on how to check the pressure reducer for proper operation, and how to fix some common problems.

While it may not happen immediately, high water pressure can quickly contribute to wear and tear, so it’s important to get your PRV fixed quickly if you want to avoid having to pay for even more costly repairs or appliance replacement.

"It is not a safety device and is not intended to be used as as a water feed valve to control boiler water at a safe operating level".

The sketch, courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, explains that a three-story building will need heating system pressure set up to at least 15 psi. when the heating boiler is cold.

In our photo at left you can see the brass valve on top of the Fill-Trol™ expansion tank and underneath the cast iron air purge valve (red arrow).

The water feeder is the brass assembly found attached to the expansion tank where piping from the boiler enters the tank on these units.

A higher building may therefore need higher heating system water pressure in order to be able to circulate heat adequately to upper floors.

Automatic water feed valves on steam boilers (such as the McDonnell & Miller automatic water feeder shown at left) perform functions similar to the valve described earlier for hot water boilers.

Watch out: The manufacturers of this type of automagic water feed valve recommend that additional manual control valves be included in the piping system, so in some installations you might also find that the automatic water feeder is not really so automatic.

OPINION: this is interesting since for closed-system hydronic heating boilers (not steam boilers) that's how lots of service techs and inspectors view this device.

Perhaps the heating service technician was annoyed by an owner's emergency service call complaining that the pressure / temperature relief valve was spilling and perhaps the tech found that the owner had been messing with the valve and over-pressurizing the boiler. If you set the boiler water pressure too high when cold then when the boiler heats up the pressure will exceed the (roughly 30 psi) pressure at which the relief valve will open.

Low water pressure—or no water pressure at all—can also indicate a faulty pressure reducing valve. You may need to replace your water pressure regulator if you notice a significant decrease in water pressure when using multiple faucets at once.

Keep in mind that devices like the B&G Pressure Reducer (notice they don't call it a "water feeder" even though it feeds water to the boiler) is intended for hot water or hydronic heating boilers.

It doesn’t matter when these problems pop up, whether it’s the middle of the night or a weekend or holiday. If you need a plumbing company that can resolve your issues immediately, you need to call the 6 days a week availability plumbers at Guardian Plumbers.

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