Do You Know What Your Water Pressure Is?
Most homeowners never think about water pressure until something goes wrong. A running toilet, a dripping faucet, a leaking showerhead, or a kitchen faucet that just won’t stop. These aren’t always random failures.
In many cases throughout Gwinnett County and Metro Atlanta, the root cause is the same: a failing pressure reducing valve (PRV) letting city water pressure run unchecked through your home.
Our owner Sean recently walked through exactly why this matters and what we do about it on every single service call.
What Is a Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV)?
A pressure reducing valve, sometimes called a pressure regulator, is a small but critical device installed on your main water line.
Depending on your home’s construction, you’ll typically find it in one of three places:
- The crawl space
- The garage
- The ceiling of a basement
The city delivers water to your home at very high pressure. Without a PRV in place, that pressure would travel straight through every pipe, fixture, and appliance in your home.
The PRV’s job is to bring that incoming pressure down to a safe level, typically between 50 and 80 PSI, before it enters your living space.
What Happens When a PRV Fails?
Pressure reducing valves don’t usually fail all at once. They degrade slowly, and that gradual failure often goes unnoticed until you’re dealing with a string of plumbing problems that seem unrelated.
Once a regulator stops working properly, your home begins receiving city-level water pressure directly, and the consequences add up fast:
- Running toilets that won’t stop cycling
- Leaking faucets that drip even when fully closed
- Leaking kitchen faucets that wear out prematurely
- Leaking showerheads that drip long after you turn them off
- Accelerated wear on water heaters, washing machines, and dishwashers
Every one of these problems is both a nuisance and an expense. A proactive PRV replacement is almost always cheaper than repairing the damage that high pressure causes over time.
Our Courtesy Water Pressure Check, Included on Every Service Call
At Stars and Pipes Plumbing, we include a complimentary water pressure check with every service call we perform throughout Gwinnett County and Metro Atlanta. We do this for two reasons:
- Your peace of mind. You deserve to know what’s actually happening inside your home’s plumbing system.
- Our warranty protection. If we’re quoting any service, especially work on your water pipe system, we need to confirm your pressure is within a safe range before we can stand behind that work with a warranty.
It takes just a few minutes and gives both you and our team a clear picture of your system’s health.
What About Thermal Expansion Tanks?
During our pressure inspection, we also check your thermal expansion tank, a component directly tied to your water heater’s performance and safety.
Here’s why it matters: when cold water heats up, it expands. That expanded water has to go somewhere.
A properly functioning thermal expansion tank absorbs that excess volume so it doesn’t add dangerous pressure back into your plumbing system.
If the tank is waterlogged or failing, it can quietly push your system pressure higher, compounding any existing PRV issues.
We check both together because they work together.
Signs Your Home May Have a Water Pressure Problem
If your PRV is aging or failing, you may notice one or more of the following:
- Toilets that run continuously or cycle without flushing
- Faucets or showerheads that leak even when turned off
- Banging or hammering sounds in your pipes
- Appliances like washing machines or dishwashers wearing out faster than expected
- Unusually high water bills without an obvious explanation
- A noticeable increase in water pressure at your fixtures
If any of these sound familiar, a pressure check should be your first call, not a fixture replacement.
Serving Gwinnett County and Metro Atlanta Homeowners
Stars and Pipes Plumbing is a licensed Atlanta-area plumbing company serving homeowners throughout Gwinnett County, DeKalb County, and Fulton County, including Lilburn, Lawrenceville, Snellville, Tucker, Norcross, and surrounding communities.
Whether you need a PRV inspection, a pressure regulator replacement, or a full system assessment, our team is available 24/7 to help. Call us today: (770) 398-7827