01
Fixtures keep failing, one after another
Pressure. The regulator is gone and everything downstream is taking it.
Services · 10
Water pressure regulators
The water comes into the Conejo Valley from tanks on the hills, so on a lot of streets it arrives well above the 80 psi the code allows inside a house. The regulator is the part that protects everything after it.
Call (805) 330-3111
Request a visit
Danny picks up when he can, and calls back the same day. Say what it is doing and you will usually have a rough answer, and a price, in two minutes.
The job
How it goes
A pressure regulator is a valve on the main line where it enters the house, usually near the front hose bib. It takes street pressure, which here can be 100 psi and more, and holds the house at 50 to 70. They last ten to fifteen years. When one fails it fails quietly: the pressure creeps up, and the first sign is that things start breaking. Toilet fill valves, angle stops, faucet cartridges, the washing machine hoses, the relief valve on the water heater. People replace those one at a time for years without knowing why.
The test takes a minute. A gauge on a hose bib reads the pressure, and if it is over 80, or if it swings when a fixture shuts, the regulator is done. Replacement is a few hours: the old valve comes out, a new one goes in with unions so the next one is easier, and we set it to what the house wants and check it at a tap. If the water heater has no expansion tank, it gets one at the same time, because a regulator with no expansion tank is what makes the relief valve drip.
We check the pressure at every house we work in. It is the single most useful thing to know about a house in this valley, and a working regulator is the cheapest insurance the plumbing has.
Call if
What you notice,
and what it usually is
02
Banging pipes when a valve shuts
Water hammer, and pressure makes it worse. The regulator is the first thing to check.
03
The water heater relief valve drips
No expansion tank, or a failed regulator, or both.
04
The shower blasts, then fades
A regulator hunting. It is on its way out.
05
Your house has never had one
Some do not. A gauge on the hose bib says whether it needs one.
Say what it is doing when you call. Most of these get narrowed down in two minutes on the phone.
How it goes
Four steps, and you have the price at step three
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01
You call
Danny picks up when he can, and calls back the same day. Tell him what it is doing and where.
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02
We look
We come out, find the cause and show you. In plain words, with the part in our hand where there is one.
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03
You get a price
Before anything starts. Repairs are our time plus parts, and the bigger jobs get a written bid. Nobody here is on commission.
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04
We do the work
Small repairs are usually done the same visit. Bigger jobs get a start date and a number of days, and we hold to it. Done to code, permitted where it needs it, the house left the way we found it.
Common questions
Things people ask about water pressure regulators
- What should my water pressure be?
- Between 50 and 70 psi inside the house. Code allows up to 80. Above that, fixtures are outside what they were built for and the warranties on most of them are void.
- Where is my regulator?
- Almost always on the main line as it enters the house, near the front hose bib or the main shutoff. It is a bell-shaped brass valve with an adjusting screw on top.
- Can I test the pressure myself?
- Yes. A gauge that screws onto a hose bib costs about ten dollars at a hardware store. Read it with everything off, then with a tap running. Over 80, or a big swing between the two, and it is time.
- Why do I need an expansion tank with it?
- Once a regulator is in, the house is a closed system. Water expands when the heater heats it and has nowhere to go, so the pressure spikes and the relief valve on the heater opens. A small expansion tank absorbs it. California requires one on new installs for that reason.
Google reviews
What people say
5.0 ★★★★★ 5 reviews on Google
★★★★★
“Dan is consistent. Professional, on time, only does what is needed, experienced, easy to work with, clean, and smart.”
★★★★★
“Dan's Plumbing did excellent job for us replacing our broken water pressure regulator. Quick response, good price, great quality of work. Will hire them again.”
2 of the 5, word for word. Read the rest on Google → Had us out? Leave a review →
Where we do this
Close to the shop
The shop is in Westlake Village. Everything we cover is about ten minutes from it, so same day is often realistic.
- Pressure regulators in Westlake Village
- Pressure regulators in Thousand Oaks
- Pressure regulators in Agoura Hills
- Pressure regulators in Oak Park
- Pressure regulators in Lake Sherwood
Zip codes 91361, 91362, 91301, 91377. Just outside? Call and ask.
Often goes with this
Related work
- Plumbing repairs Running toilets, dripping faucets, disposals, angle stops, hose bibs, shower valves. Priced before we start and usually done in one visit.
- Water heater repair & replacement Tank replacements and repairs, with the parts of the job that get skipped on a cheap quote: strapping, venting, the expansion tank, the permit.
- Slab leak repair Copper under the concrete is the most common serious leak we see in the Conejo Valley. We find it, then repair the spot or reroute the line.
Request a visit
Leave your details, and Danny calls you back
Your name, your number and a line about what it is doing. It goes straight to Danny's phone and he calls back to set a time, usually the same day. If it is leaking right now, skip the form and call (805) 330-3111.
If the form does not appear, open it in a new tab or call (805) 330-3111.
Pressure regulators
Tell Danny what
it’s doing
Describe the symptom and you will usually have an answer in two minutes. You get the price before any work starts. Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.