What are some signs my PRV is failing?

Low Pressure

Sometimes, when the PRV fails, it decreases the pressure and water flow across the entire system. This can gradually get worse over time and be difficult to notice. If you observe poor water pressure at different faucets throughout the home, this could be the reason. If you have good pressure when running one faucet but it drops significantly when another faucet is turned on, this is often a symptom of a failing PRV.

Noises

Pressure reducing valves can also start to cause weird noises whenever different faucets are turned on. This sometimes sounds like a humming, squealing, or knocking sound that happens regularly when you turn on different faucets throughout the house.

High Pressure

The PRV can also fail by allowing high water pressure into homes. Although this won’t affect your experience as much as low water pressure, this high pressure is wearing out the plumbing in your home. You may also notice water-hammer. This creates a banging noise in the walls whenever a faucet is quickly turned off. (This is especially common when the clothes washing machine is running.)

Leaking

Finally, PRVs can fail by simply leaking. Because they are usually installed in the front flower bed, it will create a wet, soggy spot where this valve is located. Look inside the valve box (usually a rectangular or circular green lid) to see if there is standing water. This box may be buried and tough to locate.

Plumbing