Main water line from 3/4 to 1in, meter and pressure

Question

I come here with a question since the plumber from a company that I called earlier this week gave me conflicting information compared to what I've read online.

I've purchased a house last year and I am looking to do some improvements on the plumbing of the house. I am planning on doing the whole house in PEX A later on this year, which I am confortable doing, but I dont want to mess with anything without making sure my connection to the main line is safe and trust worthy.

Note I am currently in Lyndhurst NJ.

Currently I have the following setup coming from the street:

Before I do anything on the house I would like to hire a company to remove that elbow that reduces my 1in pipe to 3/4in right before the meter.

I understand that the meter would need to be changed (looked up the price and it's not too bad).

So now to the part I didn't fully understand from the company, they were saying that if I removed that elbow I would have a higher pressure on the house and that would likely be a problem.

I dont see why I couldn't just have the meter, a ball valve and then a pressure reducer for the rest of the house. My goal isn't to redo the whole house now, it's just so that I have more flow to be able to use the sprinklers and take a shower, or use multiple things at the same time.

Can anyone help me understand a little bit better what this plumber was talking about or if my theory here is correct that there would be no problems.

Here is also a picture of the actual setup:

best regards,

Answer 1

Based on your picture, the diagram and your description, I'm guessing that you are in an area that has low water pressure. This isn't uncommon. I don't see a PRV (pressure regulating valve) on the main coming in to the house.
In my experience water companies typically provide water at the curb at about 100 to 150 psi. This varies due to many factors such as distance from the water supply, number of taps on the line (new construction, etc.) corrosion buildup in the lines, leaks, etc. and it can change over time. A good pressure range for most homes is 60 to 70 psi. Too much higher can cause damage to appliances and leaks in your domestic water system. This is why a PRV is sometime needed to reduce pressure.
From a practical perspective you can only have as much pressure in your system as what is provided at the curb from your water supplier. You might want to spend $10 on a screw-on pressure meter device at your local hardware store and use it to get a pressure reading from a faucet bibb so you know your current pressure. It's important to make sure all other taps in the system are closed so you get an accurate reading.
I would start there and then contact your water supplier. They should be able to give you a good idea of what pressure should be in your area. If they are saying it's 125 psi and you're reading 40 psi at your bibb - something may be wrong between the curb and your house.
Start with the above to help isolate the problem before you spend a lot of money on new plumbing.

Answer 2

The size of the water line does not determine the water pressure. Increasing the water line will affect the volume of water flow and the pressure drop in that line. If you increased the incoming line to 2" the pressure would remain the same only the amount of flow available would change. I would check with the water supplier about changing the water meter size. Where I live, the water meter has to comply with the water authority and there is a monthly up-charge for a larger meter.

Since I have never used PEX I can not can't comment on it's use.