Fb
Blocked Drains, No Hot Water, Leaking Taps, Gas Leaks, Burst Pipes, Leaking Toilets, Roof Leaks

What is a Pressure Limiting Valve?

Your Local 24/7 Plumbing Specialist in Adelaide

What is a Pressure Limiting Valve?

Have you ever heard of a Pressure Limiting Valve?

If you own your home or are currently building a new home, you may have heard the term Pressure Limiting Valve or PLV for short. But do you know what a PLV is, what it does, or whether you even need one?

Put simply, a Pressure Limiting Valve is a valve which reduces the pressure of the water flowing through it.

Throughout your home, there is a series of water pipework, both hot and cold, in the walls, ceiling space and often underground. The pipes carry water to all the various taps and outlets throughout your home, including taps and toilets in kitchens, bathrooms, ensuite and laundry.

When all the taps are turned off in the home, the pressure inside the pipework increases to the static pressure of the incoming water supply. This incoming water pressure can fluctuate from very high to low for a multitude of reasons depending on the time of day.

A home without a Pressure Limiting Valve is subject to fluctuating water pressure as set by SA Water, who set the pressure at a level to ensure all households can maintain a water supply.

Why is a Pressure Limiting Valve important?

This water pressure fluctuation is the reason why a Pressure Limiting Valve is so critical. Without a Pressure Limiting Valve, the water pressure in your home can reach extremely high pressures, which may be outside manufacturer specifications for appliances in your home. Manufacturers of appliances like hot water heaters and washing machines set a maximum inlet water pressure, which means to maintain your warranty the water pressure to these appliances cannot exceed 500kPa.

The installation of a Pressure Limiting Valve is an excellent way for you to protect your assets in your home, whether it’s extending the life of appliances or merely ensuring your washing machine is covered by warranty.

The risks of fluctuating pressures extend to your home insurance too. Without a Pressure Limiting Valve, if an appliance or fixture fails because of excess water pressure, you may not be covered. A typical example is a Flexi hose that connects to your toilet cistern. These Flexi hoses have a maximum inlet pressure of 500kPa, and manufacturers recommend you replace these every ten years. If a Flexi hose bursts, it can cause flooding in the home, significant issues and inconvenience.

When building a new home, your builder must meet the relevant Australian Standards (AS3500.1), which states that the water pressure on your property must not exceed 500kPa. The Australian Standards warn that:

“Pressures above 500kPa can cause damage from water hammer, reduced life of appliances, taps and fittings, and cause excessive noise in the system.”

The Installation of a Pressure Limiting Valve is vital on any property, whether it’s a home or commercial property. It is cheap insurance to ensure that you get the best life out of appliances, meet Australian Standards and protects the integrity of your plumbing system.

More Information

Do you need a Pressure Limiting Valve? Contact RD Plumbing Solutions today for more information, or to arrange an inspection by one of our licensed Plumbing Technicians.

Call 0422 902 890 or contact us online.

About Us &

What We Do

RD Plumbing Solutions are Adelaide’s number one choice for a Local Plumbing service provider, we are dedicated to delivering you the best plumbing service at the best price.

Our mantra is ‘First time, on time, on budget’, with customer satisfaction our first priority.

We believe in good old fashion customer service, we will call you if we’re running late and will take our boots off when coming into your home.

RD Plumbing Solutions are here to provide a solution to your plumbing problems not add to the stress of the situation with complicated fee structures or hidden costs. We’re upfront and honest with our clients from the initial phone call right through to the completion of the job, you can be assured that our licensed master plumbers are there to remove the fears and frustrations of calling a Plumber. We are about doing the job right!

RD Plumbing Solutions is committed to continually improving what we do, this is an essential part of our business as it allows us to continually raise the bar above your expectations. This is why we are Adelaide’s number one choice when it comes to your Plumbing or Gas fitting issues.

24 hours a day, 7 days a week servicing all of Metropolitan Adelaide and surrounding areas.

Master Plumbers, Master Solutions

hot-water-systems-2

Hot Water Systems

Click Below For More Info

RD-Plumbing-174-e1552000850232

Blocked Drains

Click Below For More Info

pipe-relining

Pipe Relining

Click Below For More Info

Bathroom Renovations

Click Below For More Info

leaking-taps-1

Leaking Taps

Click Below For More Info

gas-fitting-1

Gas Fitting & Appliances

Click Below For More Info

plumber Adelaide

24/7 Emergency Plumbing

Click Below For More Info

rd-plumbing-cover-edited

Contact Us

Click Below For More Info

Make An Enquiry or

Request A Quote

Fill out the form below to request your no obligation FREE quote or

    We’re taking extra precautions to keep our customers and staff safe. All our technicians are covid 19 infection control trained.