I had water issues that need to be solved. The problem: good water pressure at the supply side, good water pressure when you first turned the faucet/shower on, then blahhhh. Uninspired water pressure. I didn't like that. It needed to be resolved - and fast! My solution:

Kev's Hydro Heaven Pressure Regulator

OK, so maybe the title is a bit overblown. Don't care. Love how this thing delivers water. The volume is much better than the normal "shotgun shell" standard-issue brass regulator. The shotgun shell has such a narrow opening that the volume of water is compromised.

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Most all RVs come with a "starter kit" when you purchase from a dealer. A crappy length of hose, some sewer accessories, and a shotgun shell brass pressure regulator. The reason for the regulator is park water pressure fluctuates, and water pressure that is too high can cause damage to the plumbing on the coach. Most coach plumbing is done with flexible hose and clamps, and is prone to high-pressure failures. Not to mention the carnage that can be laid down on a water heater that is a bit old with high park pressure (reason for my first and only water heater swap ).

I found that the shotgun shell-type regulator did its job and kept pressure down, but it the cost in flow seemed too great for me. If we were running a lot of water - say taking a shower for instance - it was pretty easy to notice that the water pressure quickly went down after an initial spurt from the faucet. It seemed that the small holes that were in the regulator to manage the pressure also caused the flow of water to be substantially less.

My thought was that a large home-style regulator would be much better suited for the task. The large 3/4" opening would allow water to flow easily through the system. At the very least, it would not be the bottleneck in the system. I found some units on the web, but they were more than I wanted to spend. Off I go to Home Depot in PCB, Fl, for some "Home Depot Engineering" (meaning I would stand in the plumbing section for an hour or so figuring it out as I went).

I ended up getting a Watts N45B M1 pressure regulator, with adjustment from 25-75psi. Note that the shotgun shell type is set at 40/45psi and not adjustable. I also picked up a 3/4" MPT X 3/4" hose barb brass fitting, and a 3/4" brass waste valve - it provided the largest opening I could find. I had a hose clamp, hose, quick disconnect, teflon tape, and pressure gauge already. Total cost was $25.98 for the regulator, $8.35 in fittings.

I have a short hose that connects to a Y fitting at the supply. The hose goes into the regulator, out to the shutoff valve and into the quick disconnect and gauge. I think I will end up taking off the shutoff valve since I have a quarter-turn valve at the park supply. I will also check the quick disconnect to see make sure I don't have substantial water restrictions there.

I set the adjustable regulator for 50psi. I found that the park water pressure was around 75psi. With the new regulator in place, I have been very happy with the flow. There is no longer a quick rush of water when opening a faucet - just flows the same the whole time.

I may do some flow testing this weekend on both of the setups to see if it is my imagination or if my fat-pipe theory is real. I will post up the results.

--kev