Educate me about taking the water pressure at the water heater.
I test the outdoor faucets and/or the laundry. The highest I ever got was 173 and another at 168. Often I find 120, but that is at a faucet that is also connected to the irrigation system, where we seem to run higher water pressures here.
If there is no irrigation system, I’ll just test one faucet. If that one faucet is high, then I’ll test more.
The seller at the 173 house had disclosed that he regularly has problems with plumbing leaks at the faucets. Well, duh! And one wonders what the hec the plumbers were doing each time they put new faucets in.
I assume you’re asking why I check at the WH, correct?
The water heater is always on the regulated portion of the system (if there is a regulator). Many times, exterior spigots are split off prior to the regulator.
Also, the water heater spigot does not usually require the use of my adapters and I don’t risk damaging the aerator of the faucets when they are more than “hand-tight.”
Occasionally, I will have a water heater spigot that does not close completely after testing. I carry brass spigot caps for that.
And you’ve never had a home owner call up to complain about the cap, and when they removed the cap, it continued leaking.
I consider the water heater spigot a valve in line with the other valves that don’t get used on a regular basis (toilet, under sinks, etc.), so I don’t operate them since, as you state, “occasionally” (quite often for me in my renovation business) they don’t close completely after testing. And having a plumber replace the leaking spigot isn’t cheap around here.
Jeff, I am curious on this as well - I can understand the outdoor faucets not being optimal because (as you point out) they may be installed prior to the regulator.
But what about laundry supplies? Any pitfalls there?
I think I would much rather hook a washer hose back onto a supply line than install a cap on a WH with a client or realtor over my shoulder…
Very few outdoor faucets here in San Diego are installed before the regulator. The only time I find that there are, it is connected to the irrigation system, and there is only one faucet like that. All the other faucets are installed after the regulator. That’s because our irrigation systems here in San Diego tend to be in the 120 psi range. I guess one would not want granny to go out to water the roses only to have an uncontrollable snake hose on her hands with that high water pressure. Great visual, isn’t it?
On a vacant home, or where there is no washing maching, this is where I’ll check as well. I won’t disconnect any hoses to take the measurement - many times the hoses will leak or there is corrosion or build-up that makes it difficult to remove the hose.
Also, you are typically at an interior location when in the laundry room. Any “spills” can damage/stain interior components.
I have only had to place two caps on the WH spigot since I’ve been doing this. Clean-up is easy and the spigot is usually quite accessible.
Go to Lowes, in the plumbing section. Buy an aerator adapter male to male, 15/16 to 3/4 adapter for your pressure gauge. You can unscrew the sink faucet adapter by hand and attach the pressure gauge and adapter very easily. I do this when inspecting condos that don’t always have an exterior hose bib.
