If you are a property manager, a landlord or a tenant you may have heard the term PLV or a pressure limiting valve being used in your property. You may not think a pressure limiting valve is important to put on your dishwasher and your going to be fine without one, well, that’s where you’re wrong. A pressure limiting valve is an extremely important part of the installation of your new dishwasher.
So let’s look at some of the reasons why a pressure limiting valve is so important.
Australian Standards
According to the National plumbing code AS/NZ AS3500 Cause 3.3.4 maximum water pressure, the water pressure in a property should not exceed 500 Kpa. Every home should be pressure tested and have a PLV installed and if found that the property does not comply you could be exposing yourself to unnecessary risks.
Warranty
You have bought your brand new dishwasher for your rental property and are shocked that it needs a repair in the first year of purchase but are relieved that the appliance is still under warranty. However if the manufacturer goes out to the property and finds that a pressure limiting valve has not been installed and the water pressure is higher than 500kpa then your warranty will be voided. Whether the hose bursts or the fault is in fact caused by high water pressure you will be left out of pocket for the repair for something that could have been prevented at installation.
You have bought your brand new dishwasher for your rental property and are shocked that it needs a repair in the first year of purchase but are relieved that the appliance is still under warranty. However if the manufacturer goes out to the property and finds that a pressure limiting valve has not been installed and the water pressure is higher than 500kpa then your warranty will be voided. Whether the hose bursts or the fault is in fact caused by high water pressure you will be left out of pocket for the repair for something that could have been prevented at installation.
Insurance Claims
Another situation you could be put in, you have been contacted by your real estate that the dishwasher in your investment property has completely flooded the kitchen, the floor and the cupboards surrounding the dishwasher are all damaged and you are looking at thousands of dollars in repairs. You think to yourself that you have covered your own back by putting insurance on the property to pay for all the repairs. Well if there is no pressure limiting valve that is where you are wrong. If the dishwasher does not have a pressure limiting valve installed it does not comply to Australian standards, which like the manufacturer’s warranty your insurance will be voided if found to be caused by the water pressure and you will be left fronting the bill.
Another situation you could be put in, you have been contacted by your real estate that the dishwasher in your investment property has completely flooded the kitchen, the floor and the cupboards surrounding the dishwasher are all damaged and you are looking at thousands of dollars in repairs. You think to yourself that you have covered your own back by putting insurance on the property to pay for all the repairs. Well if there is no pressure limiting valve that is where you are wrong. If the dishwasher does not have a pressure limiting valve installed it does not comply to Australian standards, which like the manufacturer’s warranty your insurance will be voided if found to be caused by the water pressure and you will be left fronting the bill.
So, the next time you are purchasing a new dishwasher for your rental property and you see on the quote there is an additional pressure limiting valve you should know how important this part is.
You want to take every possible caution to make sure that you are covered in the future for the property and you are not left out of pocket to pay for repairs that could have been prevented.