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Pressure Reducing Valves
High Pressure Feels Great in the Shower and Costs You Everywhere Else
Municipal water often arrives at the house at a pressure well above what residential plumbing is designed for, especially in the lower parts of a pressure zone and at the bottom of the hills that both Austin and San Antonio are built on. A pressure reducing valve, or PRV, sits on the main line where water enters the home and knocks that pressure down to a steady, safe level. When it works, you never think about it. When it fails, the damage is slow and spread across the whole house.
Too much pressure is why faucets start dripping a year after they were rebuilt, why toilet fill valves fail early, why washing machine hoses burst, why the water heater’s relief valve starts weeping, and why supply connectors let go under sinks. It shortens the life of the dishwasher, the ice maker and the irrigation system. The plumbing code sets a ceiling on residential pressure for exactly these reasons and requires a PRV where the supply exceeds it. A PRV that fails in the other direction, closing down over time, is one of the most common causes of low water pressure in homes built in the last few decades.
Radiant’s licensed plumbers test your pressure with a gauge, adjust or replace the PRV as needed, and install an expansion tank where the closed system requires one to protect the water heater. Hard water shortens a PRV’s life here by scaling its internal parts, so a check every few years is worth it. The annual plumbing safety inspection included in Care Club covers it. Work is backed by the Home Comfort Guarantee.
- Measured, then adjusted We read the pressure at a hose bib before touching anything, set the PRV to a proper level, and read it again.
- Expansion tank included when required A PRV creates a closed system. Where code calls for an expansion tank at the water heater, it is in the quote, not a surprise.
- Adjustment before replacement If the valve is sound and only set wrong, an adjustment is what you pay for. Replacement is for valves that have failed.
What to Watch For
Signs Your Water Pressure Is Too High or Your PRV Has Failed
High pressure rarely announces itself. These are the ways it shows up.
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Banging pipes when a valve shuts
Water hammer. The washing machine or dishwasher valve closes and the pipes knock. High pressure makes it worse and more damaging.
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The water heater relief valve drips
The T&P valve opens when pressure climbs past its limit. A failed PRV or a missing expansion tank is usually why.
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Faucets and toilets that keep failing
Fill valves, cartridges and washers that wear out far sooner than they should. Pressure is grinding them down.
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A burst hose or supply connector
Washing machine hoses and braided sink connectors are rated for normal pressure. Over that, they fail, usually while you are out.
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Fixtures that spit or surge
A short blast when a tap opens, then settling. The PRV is sticking or its diaphragm is on its way out.
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Pressure that has slowly faded
The other failure mode. A scaled or worn PRV closes down over time until the whole house feels weak.
What We Do
PRV Testing, Adjustment and Replacement
The valve, the pressure it is set to, and the expansion tank that goes with it.
- Pressure testing A gauge on a hose bib, read static and under flow, and again overnight if we suspect the pressure climbs while the house sleeps.
- PRV adjustment Setting a sound valve to a proper residential pressure and confirming it holds.
- PRV replacement Swapping a failed, scaled or seized regulator for a new one, with shutoffs and unions so the next one is easier.
- New PRV installation Adding a regulator to a home that never had one and is running on unregulated street pressure.
- Expansion tanks Installing or replacing the expansion tank at the water heater that a closed system needs, and checking its air charge.
- Water hammer arrestors Arrestors at the washing machine, dishwasher and quick-closing valves when banging persists after the pressure is corrected.
How It Works
What a PRV Service Call Looks Like
Often a couple of hours, including the expansion tank if one is needed.
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We test the pressure
Static and flowing readings at a hose bib, plus a check of the water heater relief valve and expansion tank.
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We assess the valve
Whether it can be adjusted, whether it is holding, and whether the pressure creeps overnight, which points at a failed diaphragm.
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You approve a written price
Adjustment, replacement or a new install, with the expansion tank included where required. Honored for 72 hours.
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We set it and verify
The new pressure is dialed in, the gauge goes back on, and you see the number before we leave.
Current Specials
Save on the work your home needs most.
Not Sure What Your Pressure Is?
Most homeowners have never checked. A gauge and a licensed plumber will tell you in minutes.
What Our Customers Say
Don't just take our word for it — hear from our satisfied customers
★★★★★
I had Radiant Plumbing replace my tankless water heater, damaged in the Feb. 2021 snowmageddon storm with a new unit. The process was smooth and professional from start to finish. The plumber, James, was extremely knowledgeable and thoroughly explained my options to me. The cost and time to perform the installation were just as estimated. When he was done, James explained how to maintain the system, what service would be needed and how to perform it, and answered all of my engineering geek questions. It was a thoroughly positive experience. I have used several different plumbers in Austin over the past 15 yrs, but my search is over - I will not hesitate to call Radiant next time and would recommend them unreservedly.
8/9/23 Update: I have subsequently used Radiant for a toilet repair, faucet installation (Danny), and drain work (Ezekiel) and they have continued to impress with knowledgeable, friendly plumbers and quality work.
8/9/23 Update: I have subsequently used Radiant for a toilet repair, faucet installation (Danny), and drain work (Ezekiel) and they have continued to impress with knowledgeable, friendly plumbers and quality work.
★★★★★
We called Radiant Plumbing after we noticed a water leak in our kitchen. We were in a time crunch and they were able to schedule us quickly, before we left for vacation. They sent their representative, Preston Nichols, and he was excellent to deal with! He was on time, skillful, friendly, and very professional. It turned out to be a problem with our dishwasher but Preston was quick to diagnose it and set our minds at ease. While he was here, we mentioned that our one year-old water heater needed to be flushed. Preston was quick to take care of that, as well, saving us time and money in the process. Radiant charged us almost half the price another plumber quoted us for that service! While Radiant Plumbing isn’t our usual plumber, they gained a new customer. We won’t hesitate to call Radiant again in the future based on our VERY positive experience with them.
★★★★★
Had 3 different systems installed by them approx. 3 years ago for a total of approx $20k. I was quite happy with the install until the year later when they came for a maintenance call and started finding deficiencies in their own install. they wanted extra money to address those deficiencies. Now I am in the process of selling my home and an inspector has found a few items that need to be addressed and they will not even look at the report unless I schedule a $139.00 service call. Very poor customer service.. This company does not stand by their work and would not recommend.
I am revising my review of this business from 1 to 5 stars. After my original review I was contacted by the company's service manager and he made sure that I was taken care off. I had a team of 3 technicians coming to my house to double check the system and make the necessary adjustments. I was very satisfied by their attention to details and professionalism.
I am revising my review of this business from 1 to 5 stars. After my original review I was contacted by the company's service manager and he made sure that I was taken care off. I had a team of 3 technicians coming to my house to double check the system and make the necessary adjustments. I was very satisfied by their attention to details and professionalism.
Maintenance Membership
Join the Care Club
Home maintenance for $9.99 a month.
Care Club members get two HVAC tune-ups and a plumbing safety inspection every year, priority scheduling, no dispatch fees — ever — and 5% off every repair.
- Priority scheduling
- Seasonal HVAC tune-ups
- Annual safety inspection
- Exclusive member discounts
- Free dispatch on repairs
- No long-term contracts
Pressure Reducing Valve Questions
What is a normal water pressure for a house?
Residential plumbing, fixtures and appliances are generally designed for pressure in the range of roughly 40 to 80 psi, and the plumbing code sets 80 psi as the ceiling, requiring a pressure reducing valve where the supply exceeds it. Most homeowners are comfortable somewhere in the middle of that range. Below the low end, showers feel weak and appliances fill slowly. Above the high end, everything wears out faster. You can check your own pressure with an inexpensive gauge that screws onto a hose bib, and if you have never done it, it is worth five minutes. Municipal pressure in parts of Austin and San Antonio comes in well above 80 psi, which is why so many homes here have a PRV whether the owner knows it or not.
How do I know if my water pressure is too high?
The gauge is the certain way, but the house gives hints. Pipes that bang when the washing machine or dishwasher valve closes are the classic sign. A water heater relief valve that drips, faucet cartridges and toilet fill valves that fail every year or two, a burst washing machine hose, and taps that blast for a second when opened all point the same way. Pressure is often highest overnight, when neighborhood demand is lowest, so a gauge that reads fine at noon may read much higher at 3 a.m. On a service call we sometimes leave a gauge with a lazy hand on a hose bib overnight to catch the peak, which tells us whether the PRV is holding.
How long does a pressure reducing valve last?
They wear out, and in Central Texas they wear out faster than the manufacturers might like, because hard water scales the internal seat and diaphragm. A PRV that has been in service for a decade or more is a candidate for replacement, and one in very hard water like San Antonio’s can fail sooner. The failure is usually gradual: the valve either lets more pressure through than it is set for, or it closes down and starves the house. Because a failing PRV can go either way, the only reliable check is a gauge reading compared with the valve’s setting. We check it during the annual plumbing safety inspection that comes with Care Club.
Where is the pressure reducing valve on my house?
Look for a bell-shaped brass valve on the main water line, close to where it enters the house. On many Central Texas slab homes that is in the front yard near the hose bib closest to the meter, sometimes in a small box in the ground, or in the garage where the line comes up. It is usually near the main shutoff valve and, if the house has one, the backflow preventer for the irrigation system. Some homes never had a PRV installed, particularly older ones built before the local pressure rose or before the code required it. If you cannot find one and your pressure gauge reads high, that is worth a call, because the house is running on whatever the street delivers.
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