Community Forums

made2care · 05-17-2011, 07:35 AM

I am new to camping. Just purchased a 28' springdale, hooked up the house hose and surprise!! some leaking from the toilet. Do i need a water regulator and if so will a brass one from ace hardware work? note some sarcasm here?!!
Here is my isssue. Why would some of these trailer companies not install a regulator to begin with. I mean realistically, if the water pressure is an issue, you would think these would already be in the trailer. One less variable to worry about!

targaboat · 05-17-2011, 07:45 AM

You have a leak and needs to be fixed. As for the regulator, the best and most functional is the Watts brand sold at many hardware and stores like Lowes. The ones sold at RV stores are a waste of money.

In fifteen years of RVing we have had high pressure only once. So it is really not a frequent issue.

ga traveler · 05-17-2011, 07:49 AM

The cheapest and easiest reg. is at walmart. Your flush valve probably froze over the winter. You can just repace the valve. Not a hard job. Find your toilet model and make. Go to your nearest camper dealer and you can order a new valve. P.S. It also might be the vacume breaker. Just turn on water and try to see where water is coming from.

wingnut60 · 05-17-2011, 08:16 AM

Probably not a mfg issue, nor a water regulator. Water leaks happen, find it and fix it. Just one of many future irritations that will come up owning an RV.
Joe

wa8yxm · 05-17-2011, 09:31 AM

Odds are you do indeed need a regulator.. Common city water pressure is around 80 PSI and I"ve seen it break 100 PSI, The seals in the valves on the toilet are rated to only sixty PSI, Hence the "45psi Maximum" sticker.

Now the regulator" The brass one from ACE hardware" Depends on which one.

In this post I'll cover 5 regulators 1 by specific brand name

1: Standard brass or plastic "inline" regualtor, this is a cylinder, usually about 3/4 inches, female hose end on one end, male on the other.. TOO SMALL, this unit will restrict the flow of water and though it's ok for making coffee, it is not big enough for a shower or doing dishes or flushing the toilet.

2; HIgh Capacity or High flow.... Same as above but with a bright plastic grip on the female end... This one MIGHT be big enough, epically if you have an oxygenics shower head, but I still recommend against.

2b: Camco, This is plastic, with "Wings" on the body to help tighten it to the hose.. See 2.

3: Watts or Valterry WHOLW HOUSE, These are brass and some hardwares have 'em, Lowes and Home Depot included, at least 1/2 inch.. These are not designed for hose use but over in the fittings isle you can buy adapters. These units have a bell shaped housing with a bolt sticking out where, if it were a hand bell, the handle would attach.. They have the capacity,, Usually come set for 45-50 PSI.

I use one set to 60-70 PSI, as my first stage regulator when in a very high pressure park (This goes ahead of my filter)

4: Sur-Flo. This is a Watts company if I'm not mistaken.. Many RV's come with a built in regulator.. This is it.. They make it in severl "Installed" formats (the only difference is the mounting flange) and in an "in-line" version..

The differences between the installed and in line are this.

Take an installed, break away the mountng flange (or remove it) and screw a hose adapter on the outlet end.. Now you have the in-line model

Same exact regulator.

That's my "Secondary" regulator, between filter and rig. I got it at my dealer's close out shelf though so ....

oldnotdead · 05-17-2011, 09:32 AM

You will find many opportunities to stretch your sarcastic muscles with your new hobby/mechanical training school. Some of the industry standards defy logic, but not greed. This forum is a good source for tech info and also empathy. We're all in the same boat. OND

Loren B. · 05-17-2011, 10:47 AM

wa8yxm didn't mention the one I have:
Amazon.com: Marshall Gas Controls G-9227 Watermate Jr. Water Regulator: Automotive

It flows plenty of water. It's made to work with standard hose fittings. It has a swivel to allow you to attach it without having to twist the hose into knots. It's reliable. It's available from Amazon at a reasonable cost.

I have several of these that I use on our RV, the pressure washer tank hose, and several drip-system valves.

I like it and recommend it.

-- Loren

edj · 05-17-2011, 05:16 PM

I got a Watts Adjustable 263A Regulator from the RV Water Filter Store on-line. Great product and they have just what I needed at a reasonable price.

I put that regulator at the output of a 'home-style' water filter canister that you can get a Lowes/HomeDepot/Sears... These use replaceable filter elements; I use carbon filters.

TXiceman · 05-17-2011, 06:49 PM

The manufacturers do not include a water pressure regulator because thay cost MONEY to install. we have an 1989 Avion that has a factory installed Watts regulator installed, but the Avions were not know as low end trailers in their day.

DO NOT waste your money on the cheap inline ones from the RV stores. GO ahead and get a "whole-House" regulator.

Ken

Loren B. · 05-17-2011, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

DO NOT waste your money on the cheap inline ones from the RV stores. GO ahead and get a "whole-House" regulator.

Ken

You have a good point, Ken, but I can install my regulator at the faucet, thereby lowering the pressure in my hose also.

-- Loren

wa8yxm · 05-18-2011, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loren B.

wa8yxm didn't mention the one I have:
Amazon.com: Marshall Gas Controls G-9227 Watermate Jr. Water Regulator: Automotive

It flows plenty of water. It's made to work with standard hose fittings. It has a swivel to allow you to attach it without having to twist the hose into knots. It's reliable. It's available from Amazon at a reasonable cost.

I have several of these that I use on our RV, the pressure washer tank hose, and several drip-system valves.

I like it and recommend it.

-- Loren

Actually.. I did, I used those back in my trailer days.. I just did not mention them by name.. it's a type 1, too small for a decent shower, unless Marshall brass has made some improvements since I last bought one.

Loren B. · 05-18-2011, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

Actually.. I did, I used those back in my trailer days.. I just did not mention them by name.. it's a type 1, too small for a decent shower, unless Marshall brass has made some improvements since I last bought one.

wa8yxm,

I guess that your comment about low flow is what made me think you were not talking about the Marshall Brass one that I have. I can attach ours to the faucet here at the house and when I turn on the hose there is no noticable difference between regulated and unregulated flows. Ours will handle water in a hurry, about 6-7 gallons per minute.

-- Loren

SiberCamper · 07-31-2011, 10:37 PM

But what if you just have a cheap, 15 ft trailer? I bought the wal mart one and that's also where I got my filter. I doubt that I'll blow anything up, but I wanted to be safe.

scgator · 08-01-2011, 10:38 PM

We fulltime and as a normal rule, we install two of the inline regulators from Walmart. Some people may call this overkill; however we were in New Mexico last year and the place we were camping had excessive line pressure. Our TT manufacturer said maximum is 50#; this place had 55# even with one regulator installed. One thing you have to remember is that places that have larger commercial water systems supply more volume and thus when you connect down to an RV line size pressure can significantly increase at various times. Of course, with two regulators, water flow is a little less, but is acceptable. I would rather deal with a little less flow rate than ruptured pipes.