I need to adjust water pressure counter clockwise to reduce incoming water pressure to home. My question is, how far can the bolt be adjusted counter clockwise and will the bolt come off if I adjust too much counter clockwise . will it spring a leak???
1 Answer
Check the data sheet for your particular pressure reducing valve to find the pressure range that it works for. As an example, the Watts valve at the inlet of my house is a nominal 50 PSI valve, adjustable from 25-75 PSI. It might adjust outside of that range, but the adjustment is not guaranteed to be consistent or reliable.
Most pressure reducing valves are of a design where fully removing the adjustment bolt will not result in a leak unless the valve is already damaged internally. The bolt presses against a spring that adjusts the behavior of a diaphragm. So long as the diaphragm is intact, the valve won't leak even with a missing pressure adjustment bolt.
Be sure to run some water after any adjustment. You won't see the pressure change until there has been a bit of flow. If the adjustment doesn't change the pressure, you valve may need to be serviced. Many can be serviced in place by shutting off the water and following the service instructions.
