Which Trap Seal Primer is right for you? With so many different types and brands of trap seal primers, it’s important to pick the right one for your projects as not all are the same. MIFAB wants to make that search easier for you.Why are Trap Seal Primers needed in a plumbing system?Trap seal primers are a necessity where floor drains are infrequently used and in areas such as mechanical and service rooms. Evaporation of water in floor drain traps allows sewer gas, pests and bacteria to enter the interior of the building. Trap Seal Primers are installed on a cold water supply line, and react to water flowing in the line to trigger, either by turbulence or pressure drop. Once a triggering event occurs, the primer will release water that is piped to a trap primer connector on or near the “P” trap being maintained.How do I pick the right one?There are four main types of trap seal primers, so it is important to know the differences between them as they each have their advantages and disadvantages. You want to make sure you pick the Trap Seal Primer that will meet your needs. The four main types are: 1. Continuous Flow2. Pressure Drop Activated3. Flush Valve Operated4. Electronic Continuous flow trap seal primers are the original style of trap seal primers. They are typically constructed of cast brass or bronze with a neoprene rubber poppet float on the inside that rises upward as water flows through the primer. Continuous flow trap seal primers do not have any method of screening out line debris. This often results in their clogging and either flowing water continuously, or not at all. The volume of water that they discharge is directly related to the amount of water that continuously flows through them. For these reasons, pressure drop activated trap seal primers have become the selection of choice for specifiers.

Now, let’s look at how you can adjust a water pressure regulator yourself—having one won’t do much good if it isn’t set properly!

Next, you need to find the water pressure regulator. This is a bell-shaped device that’s close to the main water supply and sits on top of the pipe.

While adjusting a pressure-reducing valve can be easy, there are always risks associated with DIY handiwork—especially when it comes to plumbing. So, to avoid costly mishaps, consider calling a professional plumber from PlumbWize.

A water pressure regulator is a specialized type of valve designed to ensure the flow coming in from your municipal water supply is manageable for your pipes.

With over 60 years of plumbing experience, you can rest assured that we know a thing or two about adjusting a pressure-reducing valve. We’ll work quickly and efficiently to ensure yours is set at your desired water pressure, keeping your pipes safe all year round.

Once you have the desired pressure, tighten the lock nut back into its original position by doing the reverse of what you did before. This will ensure it stays set!

Step one is assessing your home’s current water pressure, as you should have an idea of where it stands before making adjustments. The easiest way to do this is by attaching a pressure gauge to any hose spigot and then observing the reading.

The top part of the regulator should have the adjustment screw and the lock nut. The former raises and lowers the water pressure, but before you can adjust it, the lock nut must be loosened first. Turn the wrench in a counter-clockwise direction to loosen the nut. Be careful not to turn it too far, however.

The good news is adjusting your pressure-reducing valve is straightforward, with it typically being a DIY job that takes less than an hour.

However, if the water pressure in your home becomes too high or too low, you may need to adjust them manually. It’s also a smart idea to do this before the end of winter in preparation for the heavy rain that comes with the spring season.

With that in mind, keep reading to learn more about them and the steps involved in adjusting a pressure-reducing valve. Let’s get into it!

Pressure drop activated trap seal primers are typically manufactured out of brass, as are MIFAB’s. The M-500 Pressure Drop Activated Brass Trap Seal Primers can be connected to any cold water line and will be automatically activated when a valve or faucet is on the line, is opened. They are made with a ½” MIP inlet connection and a ½” FIP outlet connection. They have an interior cartridge that seals when the line pressure is in a static state. It only requires a 3 PSI line pressure drop to activate the primer. The opening range for all of MIFAB’s M-500 Series of trap seal primers is 20 to 80 PSI. Even better, there is also no precharge needed which makes cleaning and repairs simple. MIFAB has also made it easier for the inspection of water delivery by strategically placing four view holes to shine light through one side while looking into the other to see the water delivery. The stainless steel sediment filter keeps the primer clean, and because of their unique design, after wear the filter can be replaced without affecting the performance of the primer. The M-500 Series of trap seal primers do not require adjustment (except M3-500-NPB). They are engineered to deliver enough water to serve 3, 6, or 10 floor drain traps without adjustment. Also the “O” ring seals are tested for reliability at a temperature range of -40 degrees to 450 degrees F. All three models are listed with IAPMO and CSA and are tested and certified to the ASSE Standard 1018 and are so marked. U.S. Patent # 6,152,164. Flush valve trap seal primers are installed below the flush valve and direct an amount of waste water discharged from the flush valve into a tube that connects to the floor drain trap to maintain the water seal. Their advantages are that the water used is already consumed by the flush valve operation, and this type of primer has no moving parts. Their disadvantage is that their location is determined by the location of the fixtures which may be too far away from the floor drains to be practical; Many installations cannot use flush valve trap seal primers because the floor drain traps are too far away to be reached by the flush valve trap seal primer. Looking for something Electronic? MIFAB also has that covered! MIFAB’s MI-100 series of electronic trap seal primers are a pre-assembled electronic trap seal primer system programmed to maintain the water seal of floor drain traps. It is made with an ASSE approved vacuum breaker, solenoid valve operated by a timer, shut off valve for maintenance. The MI-100 is engineered for equal distribution of water to all ports. like the M-500 it prevents the backflow of sewer gas, bacteria, and pests from crawling up. For the M-500 it is recommended to keep the trap seal primer close by, anything farther away than 20 feet could be an issue, as the farther the primer is away from the source of the pressure drop, the less likely it will sense it and work. The MI-100 on the other hand can be located anywhere in the building owner to adjust the frequency and amount of water delivery through a timer and stainless steel solenoid valve. The design of these primers is programmed at MIFAB’s factory with standard flush times. These flush times can be adjusted by the operator in order to discharge more or less water to the floor drain traps, depending on the installation and climate conditions. The MI-100 can be installed with a cabinet cover and capable of priming 1 to 30 floor drain traps. It is practical to serve many floor drain traps in infrequently used buildings such as convention centers and sports facilities. Knowing which trap seal primer will work best for you is important, MIFAB is proud to offer all four types and if you need any more information please visit www.mifab.com.

Now, position the wrench over the top nut of the adjustment screw and turn it accordingly. Counterclockwise turns will decrease the pressure, while clockwise turns will increase the pressure. The water pressure gauge will indicate changes in PSI.

As such, most water pressure regulators have a screw on top that can be adjusted to increase tension in the innerspring or loosened to allow water to flow freely. We’ll talk more about this when we get into the steps for adjusting the pressure!

Water pressure regulators—a.k.a. pressure reducing valves—play a quintessential role in residential plumbing systems. As the name implies, they control the force with which the water flows through your pipe—thus making for a strong or weak flow.