Pressure Regulator in South Bellingham

In the decades I've been a licensed Journeyman Plumber, I've been in some of the nicest homes in the most exotic neighborhoods in Washington.

Every once in a while, this place can still make me pause.

The first picture is the home's crawl space, otherwise known as Chuckanut Bay. I had to do the jobs while the tide was out or else wear scuba gear.

Picture 2 is the old regulator (PRV) that during high tide was inches away from being submerged.

Picture 3 is the new PRV I installed plus a ball valve.

Big Pressure Regulator

I know many neighborhoods who would love the water pressure regulator pictured below. The Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District installed it a few months back to control the water pressure to a street in Geneva (Whatom County). They installed one a block north, too, for a similarly sized street.

Basically, it comes pre-fab from a factory, vault and all. The contractor digs up the water main, turns off the water, cuts the main, lowers the vault, connects the main to the pipes in the vault, checks for leaks, adjusts the pressure and viola! Easy money, that.....(not).

While the main prv (pressure regulator valve) does lower the consumer's pressure, it also lowers the stress on the water mains, thereby prolonging the life of the pipe.

Water pressure regulators or PRV

Many homes have pressure regulators, sometimes known as PRV (pressure regulator valves), because the incoming water pressure is over 80 psi. Federal regs mandate that any pressure over 80 has to be regulated to save water. Beyond being law, anyone who pays by the drip will testify that the lower the pressure, the less water is used.

Where these PRVs are located is a challenge on the scale of NPR's Sunday Puzzle. See that brown splotch in the center of the picture? That's the PRV under a house in Mt. Vernon, Wa.

My camera had a great flash on it and I had a drop light. It was totally dark down there.