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burntfingers

faucet pressure & rainbird pressure regulator

burntfingers
9 years ago

Hello all,

First time posting in this forum -- I'm usually in the Home section. I've read a bunch of posts here but haven't seen one like the problem I'm having.

I want to set up two small drip systems using faucet / hose bibs. We are on a well, and these hose bibs are not connected to the house (that is, they come from the same well, but the lines don't come from/go thru the house first. They are each several hundred feet from the house.)

After reading posts here and at irrigationtutorials.com, I got a pressure gauge to measure the pressure at the bibs. One is about 60 PSI and the other is about 50. (Sorry for the inexact numbers -- the gauge uses large increments.)

I bought a rainbird faucet connection kit which includes a pressure regulator, which I'd hoped would bring the pressure down to the level acceptable for the drip system. Connected it and attached the gauge again to check the pressure after the regulator.

Eek! The pressure had come down from 60 to 40, BUT water was squirting out strongly at the connection "seams".

Do I need a more powerful regulator? I've been reading posts here that suggest that 50 PSI is somewhat "normal", which suggests that the one I have should be working, but...

HELP!

And thanks.

Comments (4)

  • whitecap
    9 years ago

    What seams are leaking? Did you use teflon tape? Hose pressure regulators typically claim to reduce pressure to 25 PSI. Some, though, reduce it further to 15 PSI. You might check your local "big box" stores to see what's available. You might also see what results you can obtain with flow disks. They're cheap.

    You're going to have some leakage with any drip system. Practice always trumps theory.

  • burntfingers
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Whitecap,

    Thanks. The "leaking" is from where the first component of the connector -- which has the filter and the anti-backflow device -- is screwed on to the faucet. And it really isn't "leaking", it is full on squirting, spraying out about 10 - 12 inches.

    I did not use tape, but since this is way more than just a little dripping, I don't think that's the answer.

    This regulator says it reduces pressure to 25PSI, but clearly it isn't, which is why I suspect there's something wrong .

    There's nothing on the packaging or the very skimpy instructions that came with it that indicates how much pressure on the input side it can deal with, and there was no information or literature at the HD (which is the only place that carried the connectors in my area), and I couldn't find any technical information on the Rain Bird website either. (And RainBird refers "homeowners" with questions to their FAQ - no contact number for live help.)

    Ugh.

  • burntfingers
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Did some fiddling and determined that it isn't the pressure regulator that's causing the problem. It's the anti-backflow device. Took that out of the configuration, and the pressure came down to about 28. Not perfect, but I can live with it for now.

    This is a temporary setup to cover the plants while I'm gone for a week or two, but will have to deal with the backflow issue when I get back.

    The anti-backflow portion says it has a 150 mesh filter in it -- could that be the problem?

    Thanks, all....

  • whitecap
    9 years ago

    Unless RainBird has come up with something I'm unfamiliar with, you should have several separate components: a pressure reduction device, a filter, and a backflow prevention device, which gives you several possibilities for leaks. All three must be aligned with the direction of water flow, and they should have an arrow on the side, indicating how they should be positioned. I surmise, from your description, that you have attached the pressure reduction device to the hose bib, and the leak is coming from the seam between the bib and device. You can confirm this by putting the other components aside, and attaching your hose directly to the reducer. If you still get the "squirting," between the reducer and the faucet, perhaps you have mismatched threads. Reducers come with both "hose" threads and "pipe" threads, the former being coarser. But now I think on it, perhaps you simply have an inadequate washer in the reducer. Remove the plastic washer with needle nose pliers, insert a quality rubber washer, and see what happens.

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