Hi all, Here is my $0.02, a pressure gauge(cheap) to test the pressure at your house outlets is a great idea. This is a check for your house pressure regulator in usually in your garage. The pressure for the house should be 40 to 60 psi with this regulator. If the house pressure is higher than 60 psi the house regulator can be adjusted (screw adjustment). Your house appliances can't take high pressure. If the the pressure can't be adjusted replace house regulator. If your system comes off the line from the street it is before the house pressure regulator and needs to be regulated separately from the house for pressure to what ever your needs are. Most irrigation systems for large yards utilize the this higher pressure side to decrease the need for extra zones which is more economical. The drip tapes, drip hoses and garden hoses usually have an operating pressure listed. Next splitters divide the volume of water or flow into how many branches you have. To find flow from a faucet fill a 5 gal bucket from the faucet and record the time to fill to 5 gal. Calculate the flow or gpm or gph. This is the total amount you have to divide into splitters for your given pressure. Each hole, emitter,sprinkler head uses up some system pressure as the water moves down the line. If the pressure loss along the tape is greater than your system pressure you will be over watering some plants to get the right amount to the plants at the end of the line no matter how many splitters you have. This latter info is necessary to design automatic systems or if you wish to know the amount of water you are giving plants and don't want to take a long time watering your system by hand. BTW I thought it was City or County code to use a back flow prevention device. They are usually part of the valve system shut-off. I highly recommend having a BFP in your system. If there is a broken line in your garden and is flooding and someone in your house starts a bath or shower which changes the pressure at the faucets the dirty water can be sucked back into the house contaminating the house piping not to mention the city system. Similar to a hose end sprayer taking up fertilizer from the attached jar. Hope this was helpful. Aloha

Investigating a 1" PRV with a higher flow rate to replace the one I have. Any suggested models? It seems like it may be less costly to have two lower flow rate PRVs vs a single higher flow rate PRV.

I have an AOG 30" grill that was installed by a patio/landscape firm a year ago. It has always been slow to heat up... about 30 minutes to reach 450F and will max out about 525F. I did some investigating recently and the grill install manual says line pressure for natural gas should be 7" wc, min. 5", maximum 10". The regulator which appears to be the same as shown in the manual is fixed at 4" wc. The unit comes set for natural gas and has included orifices for propane. Is 4" wc enough for a grill? Would I see better performance going to a regulator that is 3-6" adjustable that I see on Amazon, and adjust up to 6"? My other option is to call a plumbing company to see if the line is adequate. It is 1/2" pipe for about 20'.

1. Adjusting those takes nothing more than a screwdriver, and sometimes a wrench. Look online for the specific model at the manufacturer's web site and see which way to turn the screw to lower the pressure. Or just call their tech support department. 2. Be aware that the life expectancy of the internals of one of those valves is approximately 10 years, so if it doesn't adjust properly get a rebuild kit for $20 and fix it. I did that with mine a couple of years ago and it took less than an hour to take it apart and inset the internal components. There's no reason you need to have that replaced; it would be like taking your car to the dump because the spark plugs were shot. The plumber is trying to gouge you if he says it needs replacement: it's easier for him to just put a new one in rather than rebuild it, and he can charge more. That valve might cost $150 online and take an hour to replace.