rjs5134

I just completed installing a radiant heat system that operates on the house water supply and hot water heater. The system includes an in-line pressure gauge which exceeds the 100psi reading. My guess is the water pressure in my house exceeds 120psi. Is this normal and at what psi should the house water supply be held at??? Think I'm going to be installing a pressure regulator next Saturday.

pqglen

Water pressure should be between 60 to 80 psi. Did you try to adjust your current regulator? I would also check the guage by shutting off the water and bleeding the system and check to see if the gauge goes down

glennjanie

Hello RJS and Welcome to the Forum:
I agree with PQGLENN the home water pressure should not excede 80 psi. Extreme pressures stretch the limits of your water heater, washer solenoids, etc. I admire you for heating your house with the water heater, your floors will be toasty warm all winter and the water heater is running a lot of the time anyway; may as well make use of it.
Glenn

CraigFL

It would be interesting to know where your water supply comes from---- well or city system. You do need to verify that the gauge is reading correctly, but if it is, and you have city supplied water, I would contact them to see if they can regulate it. If it's a well pump/tank, you may have control over it.

rjs5134

Thanks for the quick replies... My house is supplied by city water and I don't recall seeing a pressure regulator, although it would be in a dark closet that I haven't looked that closely at. I will certainly check tonight.

I'm fairly certain the pressure gauge works fine. To check, I filled my compressor and allowed the system to equalize at about 55psi. Both gauges read the same.

I'm looking forward to the winter, I have a sunroom that is exposed on all sides except one to the elements and doesn't get proper heating from the forced air system. This should be the first winter that it won't be chilly out there.

Radiantec, the manufacturer says the system should run at about 60psi. I'm afraid my wonderful shower water pressure will be no longer.

K2eoj

They make a pressue checker that connects to any hose bib. Probably a couple buck at the depot.

I run my household pressure at 45 to 50 lbs. I have a few baseboard heat systems that are run at 10 psi. so the pressure is reduced twice.

It would be interesting to know your sustained pressure/ flow. I had a house that read 115psi when nothing was running. Turn a faucet on and it dropped to 15 fast.

To much pressure is hard on a system. Things tend to drip more, Hoses can burst or bubble up. 60 psi woul be max for me.

I'm not sure why a circulating system would want 60 psi.??

rjs5134

The system is very interesting. It runs at 60psi and the tubes are rated for 100psi. Check out the open-direct sytem at www.radiantec.com.

It makes sense that the pressure would drop, you release pressure when running water. I've had a garden hose pressurized all summer with a motion sensor sprinkler head and it didn't burst. I'm shocked it could take 115psi+/-.