water pressure regulator???

[swingby1]

Is there a factory on-board pressure regulator? I have a 2011 3665RE. ZI use an inline regulator set 50#. I use the same setting at my home and the pressure seems to be a lot better at home. I have changed the shower head, thinking that perhaps, the nozzles were getting clogged but there still seems to be pretty low pressure. And it doesn't seem to matter what RV park we may be staying on our travels.

[mazboy]

no on board regulator.



take off your regulator and see what the pressue is...

[Bourbon County]

Hopefully you're using one of the adjustable regulators, not one of the fixed pressure ones. A regulator cannot increase pressure, only reduce it.

Since you say this happens in every park you go to, it's unlikely but there is a possibility that the utility pressure is low. The gauge on the pressure regulator indicates the regulated pressure, not the incoming pressure. By the way, 60 psi is a good healthy pressure and should not damage any piping in your home or your RV. Is your inlet screen clean as well as the other usual suspects?

I've started the practice of installing a wye water hose fitting on my water connection whenever I camp and use one side for my RV water supply and attach a pressure gauge on the other to gauge the utility pressure. This also gives me the flexibility to connect the tank rinse without interrupting the RV water supply.

Utility pressure will fluctuate a bit over the course of the day depending on demand.

[Theunz]

I have had the cheap regulators (the ones without a gauge) slowly fail and reduce the flow. Maybe you could borrow your neighbors for a quick comparison the next time you’re camping.

[dieselguy]

Although you see alot of folks using them, ditch the inline Plain Jane regulator and buy something along this line ... you'll thank yourself later.
https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Water-Pr...01-1117VP.html

[rohrmann]

There is a huge difference between a so called regulator, really a restrictor, and a real regulator. The photos show one of the cheap devices and what parts are inside. There are no moving parts in them. And then the diagram shows a real regulator and what is inside.

[DQDick]

Your water inlet in the convenience center has a screen in it. When it becomes clogged you do have a built in flow restrictor, so you might want to check that.

[twindman]

And instead of Etrailer, go to home depot and get an identical looking one for $42. I think it is a Camco but is still solid main piece, etc.

[DutchmenSport]

Your 50 psi setting should be good. If you have any doubts what the max pressure should be, you can always check the label on your on-board water pump. It's clearly marked there what the shut-off pressure is. Here's a photo of mine.



And as a bit of FYI, I never hook up the "garden hose" and run water from it, at home or camping anywhere. I fill my fresh water tank and always pump from it, even at full hook up sites. This eliminates ANY guess work and shore water psi.

The biggest reason I do that is because there is no guess work about the psi in the camper. The second reason is because, no matter how new, or how many different gaskets I put on my garden hoses, they always .... always .... leak at the connections. Unless I use plyers and tighten them down... like permanently ... they leak. I have used cheap hoses and expensive hoses, garden hoses and white hoses.... they ALL leak and water spews or drips at the spigot source or where it's connected to the camper. And dripping water is wasteful.

[wed]

No you need your own

[VagabondLove]

Originally Posted by DutchmenSport

Y The second reason is because, no matter how new, or how many different gaskets I put on my garden hoses, they always .... always .... leak at the connections. Unless I use plyers and tighten them down... like permanently ... they leak. I have used cheap hoses and expensive hoses, garden hoses and white hoses.... they ALL leak and water spews or drips at the spigot source or where it's connected to the camper. And dripping water is wasteful.

DutchmenSport, I recently decided to go with high quality, high volume brass quick disconnects, and am very pleased with the decision. These do not leak...but they are not cheap! https://www.amleo.com/leonard-quick-...ss-male/p/58CM and https://www.amleo.com/leonard-quick-...-female/p/58CF

[VagabondLove]

Originally Posted by swingby1

I use the same setting at my home and the pressure seems to be a lot better at home.

swingby1, your home likely has higher diameter pipes, which can maintain higher pressures with increasing volume. The smaller PEX diameter means the more volume you ask for, the pressure will drop more.

A great analogy for water flow in pipes is electricity. The pipe diameter is similar to the wiring gauge, the water pressure is similar to voltage, and the water flow is similar to current. If you try to get 20 Amps through a small wire over a long distance, the voltage will definitely drop. You would need a larger gauge wire to be able to maintain the voltage when asking for 20 Amps.

[DebNJim B]

The pex lines in an RV should all be 1/2" and at 45-60 psi there should be no issue with pressure drops if two faucets are use at the same time.
The op's issue sounds to me like a restriction has developed somewhere. First check the screen on the inlet connection. Also if you are using an inline filter, it could be partially plugged. At my permanent site I have learned (the hard way) that if the spigot has been shut off for a couple of months rust will show up. So now I hook up a hose and flush it out before connecting up. You'd be surprised how just a little bit of rust particles can cause a huge restriction in the flow.

[steiny93]

no built in regulator from factory

to troubleshoot
put a gauge on the rv and see what psi you are getting
if its lower then anticipated test the incoming psi

if delta get a better regulator, the restrictors are not awesome, especially if they are getting low psi supply

or
run off the pump even at rv parks, I've had better luck on the pump vs on the rv supply

but,,, your rv isn't going to be like your house

[swingby1]

Thank you everyone for your responses. First, I had a DUH! moment after reading Bourbon Country's reply. The park's water pressure could be 40psi and I would never know it with my regulator set at 50. It's only protecting me from higher pressures NOT GIVING ME 50psi. I knew that but it just didn't occur to me until reading it.
We've got a pretty steady rain/drizzle today but I will be out checking all the connections with screens.

[Bourbon County]

After further thoughts on this post, I found an inline water pressure gauge with water hose fittings. I will install this directly to the campground spigot ahead of the regulator, it will give me a real time pressure reading on the system. It's less than $20. "If you don't measure it, you're just guessing"