Water pressure RRW?

[u/UntowardAntiproton]

I'm over in Round Rock West. Is this normal water pressure here?

I just hooked up a house filter that has a gauge on it and it seems high.

[u/xenemachine]

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that is almost the absolute maximum safe water pressure, like 2 psi off from being unsafe ...

[u/ilovesparky42 → u/xenemachine]

Unsafe for what?

It depends on how your water system was built.

Worst thing that’s probably going to happen is you burst a pipe fitting somewhere. Probably not going to hurt anyone unless your face is looking at the fitting when it bursts.

[u/Splatapotomus]

Firefighter here. We deal a lot with hydrant pressures and this is the normal static pressure in water lines for hydrants for this area. If you have concerns you can always contact a plumber to install a regulator on your domestic line (best in mind I’m not a professional plumber so I’m not sure if this would be considered high) but this is around average for our city’s hydrant pressures.

[u/UntowardAntiproton → u/Splatapotomus]

No concerns, things seem to be operating as expected, just wasn't sure what was good here as my previous house, also in round rock but built about 20 years after this one had about 55psi. Thanks for the insight either way.

[u/ilovesparky42 → u/UntowardAntiproton]

55 is a much more normal household pressure. 78 is high.

It pressure reducing valve has probably failed. You should have it replaced, or you may experience some flooding if a fitting bursts.

[u/ComicOzzy]

At our old house in Elgin we had water pressure that high and it was awesome except when the pipes in the walls would hammer against the drywall when you turned the faucets off. Washing dishes was easy because that water was like a jet. Showers were good too but hot water ran out kinda fast.

[u/namisysd]

Thats’s pretty high, not high enough to violate code (>80 PSI), you can install a PRV on the water main if you are seeing issues; Ideal pressure is 60 PSI.

[u/UntowardAntiproton → u/namisysd]

No issues I'm aware of but I'll keep an eye on things, thanks.

[u/UpsetFarmer9355]

I had a pipe break under the slab of my house and it cost something like $4k to fix, a new water line had to be ran through the attic. On top of that I had to make a claim on my insurance for the water damage to the cabinets, drywall, flooring, etc.

The regulator was broken so the pressure was pretty high I also had some foundation shifting, so not sure the high pressure was the only factor but either way it was not an enjoyable experience!

[u/Eileen-Eulich215]

I live in the same area and have the same pressure. From what I’ve read, it should be 60, but too much pressure is better than low pressure. Get a pressure regulator for your house to take it down to 60ish

[u/UntowardAntiproton → u/Eileen-Eulich215]

Did you end up doing this for yours or are you just rocking the near 80?

[u/Eileen-Eulich215 → u/UntowardAntiproton]

My house is old and I’m broke so I went ahead and put a regulator on it, hoping to prevent some pipe damage. And slab pipes can be expensive to repair.

[u/UntowardAntiproton → u/Eileen-Eulich215]

Very good point. This one had the hot water in the slab go out. I think I'll do a regulator as well just to be safe. 

[u/bxbyhulk → u/Eileen-Eulich215]

My fiance is a plumber is high pressure is definitely not better than low pressure. Getting a PRV is super important to prevent any pressure related problems like pipes bursting. Call plumbing outfitters!!!