What is the PSI or water pressure code for the city of Scottsdale, AZ?
Have you been through a home inspection report in Scottsdale, AZ and received a red flag or crucial warning regarding the water pressure of the house? Most often we see a Scottsdale home inspection report, done by a licensed inspector pointing to a very high PSI reading. Some can be as high as 95 PSI. It can also be that your pressure is too low, your water flow in the shower or faucet are just not what you would expect when turning the water on.
Is High Water Pressure Dangerous?
Having high water pressure, anything over 80 pounds per square inch or in short, PSI, is a recipe for disaster and if ignored for a long time, you are looking for trouble.
All cities have codes regulating the amount of pressure you can have in your pipes. Code may vary depending on the year your house was built and the material used for piping. It is most common to see a max pressure allowed of 80 PSI. The weather can play a role as material expands or shrinks during hot and cold seasons. Copper pipes can hold better pressure than PVC, and Pex pipes tend to do better than both. When it’s 110 degrees outside and 150 or more in the attic, high pressure water can burst to your pipes and water will flow into your house causing lots of damage.
Other issues you might be facing due to high pressure can be damage to appliances, water heaters and water softeners.
How to Reduce Water Pressure?
The code in Scottsdale is 55-75 PSI, code in Phoenix can go down to 40 PSI if your home was built in the early 1900 and has PVC piping. The city does not regulate the low pressure but does limit the high pressure as this can affect the flow of water to your neighbors and construction sites in the area. Lots of times we see houses that don’t have a pressure regulator, the fact is that the city tries to keep the pressure constant and at 75 PSI, so when the house was build that was the water pressure and there was no need to install a regulator.
Installing a Pressure Regulator – Do I Need a Plumber?
The pressure regulator sits on the main water line coming from the city shut off valve and installed just after the house shut off valve. It has an adjustment on it, though it should come from your hardware store set to the pressure of your city. It should also have a tag on it with its original setting info. For most people this is not a DIY type of project as it requires shooting off the water to the house and using plumbing tools such as sweat solder to add one on.
Your inspection report may call for a licensed plumber or professional to do the repair. It is always a good idea to use a licensed professional who has done many of these before and offers a warranty on the work. You never know what might happen with the sale and if you need proof that the work was done correctly.
Response Crew is a licensed handyman service ROC #316616 and we have done many jobs like this around the entire Phoenix valley. If you have any questions or need to set up a service like this please call or contact our office to set the appointment. Here is one of our technicians on a job site right after fixing a water pressure issue.
