Benefits To Installing Pressure Reducing Valves
High water pressure in your home can cause a whole host of troubles with your plumbing system. Things like banging pipes, loud dishwasher and washing machines, and leaks can all be attributed to high water pressure. Not to mention the impact that it has on your water and power bills each month.
Even just a small leak can waste several hundred gallons of water over the course of one month. And, high water pressure can weaken the integrity of your plumbing pipes from the inside out, leading to several leaks.
Some of the benefits to installing pressure reducing valves on the fixtures in your home include:
Saves Water. The higher the water pressure is in your home, the greater the amount of water that is coming out when a fixture is engaged. In fact, twice the amount of water that is needed will come out of a fixture when the water pressure is high and most of that is wasted. When pressure reducing valves are installed, the pressure of the water is reduced thus reducing the amount of water that comes out of the fixture. For appliances this is especially helpful, things like the washing machine and dishwasher can be flooded with too much water, which is not necessary to thoroughly clean the load.
Saves Energy. There is a direct relationship between volume of water and energy used. For homes that have standard tank water heaters up to 60% of the monthly power bill is attributed to keeping the water in the tank heated to the set temperature. If there is less water flowing through the plumbing system because pressure reducing valves have been installed, then there is less hot water being used and less power. In fact, the EPA estimates that when pressure reducing valves are installed the flow of water is then decreased by 30% which directly correlates to a 30% reduction in the power bill.
Saves Wastewater. After water is used in the sinks, showers, and baths of our home it is carried away to the wastewater treatment facility managed by the city. Or, in some cases it is carried out to the septic system of the home. In either case, the amount of wastewater can be reduced by installing pressure reducing valves and the benefits carries over to the environment.
You can purchase pressure reducing valves at your local home improvement store for a minimal investment. However, the long-term benefits to these fixtures is nearly priceless.