What is the ideal pressure for incoming mains water?

Avoriaz

I don’t have a specific problem but, having recently moved from a 1960s stored water tank in the loft house to a more modern mains water house, I am curious about mains water pressure.

Our 2 storey house was built in 2004/5. The rising main is under the kitchen sink and has a Pressure Reducing Valve with gauge fitted.

Having recently replaced the leaky gauge (see this thread) I am now curious as to the best or ideal water pressure setting.

Having looked at the specs of similar PRV valves, they all appear to be factory set at 3 bar. My gauge normally shows about 2.1 bar. I don’t know whether that is the actual pressure of the incoming mains or the maximum to which the PRV is set. I presume I could establish that by adjusting the PRV to see if the gauge reads higher.

Why does my valve appear to be set to limit pressure to 2.1 bar? The boiler has its own PRV so presumably not for that.

There is plenty of pressure in the upstairs shower and at all taps etc and no problem with excessive pressure anywhere so I don’t feel the need to increase or decrease the pressure. I am really just curious about the topic and can’t find much on Google about it.

Thanks.

tigeress289

2 bar is the normal as this is 28 pound per square inch pressure. As you rightly point out, it is more than enough for your home. Image it turned up more, when you turn on anything, the pressure release is far greater. Different pressures apply to different residents. If you lived in a block of flats,the riser main would have to be increased the higher it went. The higher the pressure the more strain any appliance would be under. You are in a good position where you can reduce rather than need to increase. The amount of problems people have,when they have no pressure is quite common as well. Techies out agree or disagree, but for me the higher the pressure, the more problems it can cause over time. Hope that helped, which you might have thought already.

ormus

the water company minimum requirements are 0.7 bar.
and the ideal is anywhere between 1 and 3 bar. so setting at about 2 bar is normal.

southcoastrgi

the gauge shows the water pressure you have not necessarly what the valve is set to, if you only have 2 bar coming in then the gauge will show 2 bar irrespecively of what the valve is set to

Moss5

http://www.screwfix.com/p/prv-with-gauge-15-x-22mm/41943#

The guage shows the pressure after reduction (on the outlet side of the valve)