Zurn Wilkins 112-600XL 1-1/2" 600XL Water Pressure Reducing Valve

I had a cash acme EB45 installed by the builder of the home that would always drop 20 PSI water pressure when one bathroom faucet was opened. This regulator worked so much better only losing a couple of PSI with three faucets opened. What a difference when showering with kids using other water in the house! Great product and easy to install and adjust.

This new valve replaced an identical old one which could not be rebuilt. Delivery was less than 24 hours; installation less than half an hour. 110psi city water is now tamed to 55psi and no longer threatens the house piping, faucets, and toilet valves.

Moved into a new house that had a non-functional Wilkins 600, so the choice was buy the same size or redo the connections. I went with this 600XL which was a lead law compliant direct replacement. the only problem I had is the end that screws on directly took some large wrenches to remove the old unit and put this one on. The pipe threads on the connecting pipe may have been stretched a bit by whoever put the old one on, but to get enough leverage to completely stop any leakage, I used a 16 inch crescent wrench and a pipe wrench. Tightening the union end was easy as all it has to do to be water tight is compress the rubber washer in between. Without adjusting it, pressure afterwards was right around the claimed factory set 50 psi. Incoming is 82 psi, which caused a lot of water noise when the upstairs bathtub and also when the washing machine filled. So the reduced pressure has made a big difference in the noise level and also probably on the wear and tear on washers and pipe joints. One toilet valve had an occasional drip from the fill hose and I replaced it right after moving in. It probably would not have had to be replaced if I had done this valve first. The tank fills a few inches lower at shut off now so there is definite lower water usage. The lower pressure has also helped with a shower that was almost impossible to set a good temperature on. It was either too hot or too cold and the spot where it worked the best was bearable, but too hot versus normal temperature. I think that was due to the pressure difference between the cold water and from the hot water heater, and probably it went from too little to too much cold water in the mix. Now there is no problem finding a good temperature since there is a much wider temperature range possible.

The PRV feels solid and well made unlike the Watts with a plastic top installed by my plumber. I like the fact that you can overhaul the internals which increases extends its life and reduces waste. It also has a slot for pressure gauge if you like. The instructions were straightforward and was able to combine PRV installation with whole house water filter. I installed this myself with Propress components. So far no leaks or humming that plagued the Watts. Would highly recommend.

Good product. Highly recommend.

Review for 1-1/4" valve: Zurn 112-600XL Lead-Free FNPT Union Pressure Reducing Valve. Reduces pressure as designed - and as expected. After installation it was easy to adjust output pressure. This product has been installed now for 6 months, and still doing it's job (as expected, and hopefully for much longer). The previous pressure reducer failed, likely due to contaminants stuck in the mechanism that wouldn't flush out. A valve rebuild kit costs almost as much as a new item, and then there's no guarantee that it will work. Since this new pressure reducer was replacing an identical one, the installation was fairly straight forward. Even though I applied Teflon tape to the threads, it was a challenge to get the thread joints tight enough to not leak. This (I presume) was due to the pipe diameter (1-1/4"), so my pipe wrenches required some extra leverage (in the form of some spare pipes over the handles for more length) - that's not the fault of the product, just physics, and my muscles.

I bought the 600XL to replace a 600. The reducer was located in a very tight spot and the pipes are going into cement. Fortunately, the 600XL is exactly the same length as the 600 so I was able to drop it in without having to do any demolition. The input side has a 1” female union thread and the union assembly is included. This allowed me to remove and install without cutting any copper. I was able to use the union collar from the old reducer so no soldering was required. The new collar gasket also fit. The output side has standard female 1” NPT thread. My city has very high water pressure at over 170 PSI. The reducer worked well. The default PSI was around 60 PSI. Only time will tell if this non-lead version will work as well as the original.

Product came loosely packaged in the original manufacturer’s box. All gaskets and additional documentation was included. Unit was a great replacement and came preset at about 58psi. Line tested. I had a plumber install it as a replacement to the one that came w the house bc the great freeze of 2021 in Texas- NE TX to be exact(at 0730 we had -7deg F air temp w -13 wind chill) cracked the original and blew an additional pipe in the attic. Fully lead free and almost completely made of heavy cast brass. Thanks to Amazon for getting it to me faster than the plumber could get it through his supply chain, and less expensive too! 2 weeks without water sucked but this brought my water pressure down from 96psi at the main. Thanks again to Amazon and Zurn for this great pressure regulator.

Worked as advertised. No noise. No leaks. Easy to adjust the pressure (I increased in about 5 PSI above the factory set pressure). Has been installed 3 months and no issues. Totally eliminated the water hammer in the house by adjusting to 50 PSI. (Irrigation system still needed a water hammer arrester ). Solved my problems!