Watt's Pressure Regulator & Rusty Water

[RedneckExpress]

Hey folks, thinking about dropping the bucks for one of the adjustable Watt's Pressure Regulators, but given that one of my cheap brass units started having problems after the water was shut off for a couple days because of the extremely high rust content in the water here, I'm forced to wonder if the Watt's will meet a similar fate? Rather not drop $40 on a pressure regulator that's going to rust up shortly after its allowed to dry out.

[HD4Mark]

Rusty Water. Wasn't he a NASCAR driver #2?

Why not invest in a house water filter and connections for your supply hose? We use an inexpensive one and change the filter once in a while. I figure it protects a the plumbing from stuff like that.

[RedneckExpress]

The only concern with the filter I had was keeping it from freezing and bursting in the winter time since this connection is on all year round.

[wa8yxm]

To answer several questions:

The design of the WATTS unit is such that some rust in the line may, in fact, damage the valve in it, ,, but the valve uses a common faucet washer and you can easily replace it (Any hardware store will have the valve washer) so there is little danger.

Now... To the person who suggested putting a filter ahead of it.. Good idea,, Filters are often rated for a max pressure in the 120PSI range and one place (Where I use my Watts) the park pressure can hit 130, and blow the filter to finders.. It can also blow hoses and couplings and all sorts of things.

My suggestion is two regulators

In order you have
The park spigot
A Watts or Valterra.. Mine is 3/4 inch, set to around 70 PSI give or take 10
The long hose to the filter
The Filter
Here we get into one of two things.. Just now I have
A Sure-FLO in-line RV pressure regulator (This regulator is IDENTICAL to the ones they sell as combo water inlets and regulators by the way, Only the "Collar" is missing, instead they screw a hose fitting on the tail end)
And a short hose to the rig's inlet

(The alternative which I used to use put the short hose first)

NOTE: a 2nd watts or Valterra set to 45-50 PSI could be used here

NOTE: the cylinderical "In-line" units that are about 3/4 inches in cross section diamater.. NOT GOOD not enough capacity

This set up gives protection to the hoses and filters (The first Watts) and enough pressure to push water through the filter fast enough to showere (70 PSI) and then protection to the rig (45-50PSI)

And I still blew the end off a Wall-Mart white hose (Cheap piece of wall-mart)

["007"]

How about the washer with a fine mesh screen in it.

[RedneckExpress]

Actually the old Camco had one of those, it did get the larger chunks, but it still had problems the clog up pressure drop problems.

[Bill Adams]

I have a watts regulator in the coach and then the filters. Since I full-time the regulator never gets dry so I can't address that kind of a problem but the regulator has worked just fine since 1999. I believe that many years ago I did replace an o-ring or gasket or something but I really can't remember.

[RedneckExpress]

Okay, I've picked up a Valterra Adjustable pressure regulator (No one in the area carries the Watts, and I needed it sooner, rather than later. I'll be setting up the filter system later on in another week or so when money is available (Had to shell out $60 for the valterra adjustable unit).

I am also a full-timer, but I occasionally take the camper up into the hills to do some fishing/camping at USFS or BLM campgrounds where I'll be running entirely off of water I brought with me so the pressure regulator tends to spend the weekend drying out unused. That's actually how this all began was with the fact that I had shut and drained the line out after it having been on since February.

I'll be setting the new regulator at around 50-60 PSI, close to what my Shurflo SmartSensor 4.0 water pump puts out. I took a look at some of the water filter kits at the RV parts store and they seem to be made of some seriously thick plastic 1/2" at least.