In short:

• Whole house filter systems are installed at water meter and always include garden reticulation, if present
• Excluding garden reticulation can be assessed per request
• Using unfiltered water for garden beds is not recommended

It depends on the situation, if the garden reticulation can be excluded or bypassed from the filter system. When homes are in the building process bypassing the garden reticulation is way easier as provisions can be made to ensure that garden design and pipes are laid accordingly.

With established homes the reticulation cut-off valve would need to be found in order to assess a new pipe layout and design to bypass the filter system.

Similarly to humans plants do not like chemicals in the water as it can affect plant health and growth. Plants flourish with filtered water and it is recommended to use filtered water especially for raised garden beds or vegetable gardens to close the circle of living in a healthy bubble.

In short:

• protect filter system, tap ware and fixtures from high water pressure damage
• every home owners responsibility to be able to control water pressure to the property
• comply with manufacturer installation guidelines to keep warranty

A pressure limiting valve is designed to protect the whole house filter system from high water pressure damage. The manufacturer of the filter housing and cartridges specifies the maximum water pressure the filter system is capable to handle before it gets damaged that results in burst filter housings or cracked filter heads. 

Even though pressure at your property might not be a problem at a time when it is measured, sudden peak pressure can occur any time due to an unpredictable event. It is every home owners responsibility to ensure water pressure can be controlled.

In general, water pressure in each suburb varies: in the morning when the demand for water is high it is likely pressure to be low or within the guidelines of 500 kPa, however,  at night when the demand in the suburb is reduced it can happen that water pressure can peak above the max. allowed level. An unpredictable event could present a water outage in an area and when water is restored peak pressure can occur. 

On the water corporation website water outages are listed and can be searched per area, alternatively there is the opportunity to sign up for water alerts should any issues in the area occur to receive notifications for awareness.

A pressure limiting valve is set to 500 kPa and allows pressure to this set limit, not only protecting your water filter system, most tap ware and fixtures are rated to max 500 kPa pressure. If pressure cannot be controlled taps can burst at high pressure and be the reason for flooded homes. It is therefore advisable to have a 500 kPa pressure limiting installed to protect your filter system and not void the manufacturers warranty.

A pressure limiting valve is subject to wear and tear and performance should be assessed at least annually to ensure it is in good working order.

Depending on the pressure limiting valve brand the warranty ranges between 1 to 2 years. The timeline for when wear and tear affects pressure limiting performance varies and is subject to water quality, however a good quality pressure limiting valve can last up to 7 years. When it comes close to performance fluctuations or malfunction, replacement parts should be installed to ensure pressure limiting accuracy. 

A Plumbscan complete home water filter is growing in popularity in our communities. A water filter for your complete home lifts the game of benefits. The main benefit is supporting health by reducing chemicals in the water - running filtered water through your complete home gives you peace of mind for both health and home maintenance.

We all know those white spots on shower screens, calcium built-up inside water kettle’s, stiff tap-handles or dry skin and hair, all this and more can be one of our daily challenges when it comes to hard water problems.