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The usual way to shower in an RV involves shutting off the water a few times, so most RV shower heads these days include a shut-off. This would be a great idea if it weren’t for two things:
- The shut-offs usually leak horribly.
- Typically, you get frozen or scalded when turning the water back on.
In our RV, we were getting frozen out by the shower head shut-off, so I finally decided to do something about it. This video is the result:
The problem here is something called “crossflow”. Crossflow can occur when you open the hot and cold water taps, and connect them together. This is what happens in a shower head, where you allow the water to mix, and then shut it off someplace after that. This will allow the water to flow from cold to hot, or hot to cold.
Which way the water will flow depends on whether your hot or cold water was at the higher pressure. In our RV, the cold water was at a (significantly) higher pressure than the hot water. This was allowing the cold water to push its way back down the hot water piping – leaving us with nothing but cold water when we turned the shower head back on.
Now if the hot water was at a greater pressure than the cold, you could have the reverse situation happen. This would leave you with nothing but hot water in the shower and plumbing lines, and could potentially scald you. That would be bad! I’ve not found a definitive source on this (I’m sure someone will correct me in the comments if there is one), but the theory is that shower head manufacturers are guarding us against such a scalding by building shower heads that leak – on purpose – when the shut off is engaged.
That’s a cute idea and all. But it doesn’t actually work, and just wastes water.
I started off just trying to fix the cold water, but later realized I needed to fix the leaking as well to solve the whole problem. So I wound up installing a check valve (on the hot water, to keep the cold from working its way down that line), and also a shower shut off valve that actually worked. (Most shower shut-offs that you’ll find also exhibit the leaking).
If you want to play along in your own RV, here are the key parts I used:
And if you have a Winnebago Travato 59G like we do, you’ll also need to order this gasket:
Beyond that, the video is pretty self-explanatory. One word of caution though: Since we are talking here about defeating a reputed safety feature, be sure you know what you’re doing! If, for example, your hot water was at a greater pressure than the cold, you would have to move the check valve to the cold water piping, or you would scald yourself. If the above doesn’t make sense to you, I’d recommend you don’t try this yourself, and instead, consult a plumbing or RV service professional. I don’t want to be responsible for anyone getting scalded!
I’m happy to report that after these additions, our shower stays at a constant temperature when the flow is shut off. The leaking has stopped as well! Hopefully, this helps some of you out, too.
I was about to follow the advice in this great video when a plumber’s comment on another website made me pause. He said the reason leaky shower cut-offs are the industry standard is to to prevent people from forgetting to turn off the water at the main valves when they’re done with their shower. I can totally picture myself forgetting to turn off the shower, then having something knock the shower shut off while I’m driving down the road with the pump accidentally left on. . .so I think I’m going to install one of the Duda valves you’ve mentioned instead.
Interesting! I have never heard that angle on the drippy showers before.
In a home, I suppose that’s one thing. But in a small RV, a shower tends to be an “event”.
I think it’s unlikely we’d ever forget – but the Duda valve is another excellent option that we tried and loved.
Good Luck!
Little grasshopper, the RV industry has outdated your shower solution by coming up with the on demand water heater.. Now if you want a nice shower, you will reduce the temperature of the water heater to about 108 degrees and use only hot water, Then you will install a bypass return valve that returns the shower water to the tank until it comes up to a comfortable temperature/, saving gallons or water for each shower.. Then simply close the bypass valve and shower as long as you want.
It’s true, there are now instant water heaters with a recirculating feature built into RVs. Our new EKKO has the Truma Aqua Go, which includes both of those features. In fact, the Truma doesn’t return water to the tank, but rather recirculates it within dedicated lines. This a) avoids dumping warm water into your fresh tank, and b) keeps the water heater out of your water line sanitizing scheme.
However, these units are still in the minority – by a lot. There are literally thousands upon thousands of RVs that still need and could benefit from this solution… even though we no longer use it ourselves.
Yep the On Demand hot water tank sounds like a great idea. Unfortunaetly the RV models are not very dependable. I had several problems with my unit not working. I contacted the tank dealer and they gladly sent me a new updated tank. It worked great for about 6 months then started having problems again . I contacted the RV dealer and he says they are having lots of trouble . He suggested replacing it with the conventional heater. I did that and no more issues for the last 2 years. The dealers around here now order new trailers with the conventional tanks for their customers.
Learned from experience.
Our new rig has a Truma tankless unit. It’s worked fine thus far.
I have a 2019 DRV Mobile Suites. I have had 2 previous DRVs and never had a problem with the shower cycling. My last was a 2017 and no problems. I tried the check valve and it didn’t help. I guess Thor Industries continues to cheapen and ruin everything they buy. Is the thermostatically controlled easy to install. I have thought about replacing the fixture but as in a lot of RVs the shower has a hose and I have not found a replacement valve to work.
The thermostatically controlled valve is no more difficult to install than any other bath fixture. Just more expensive.
Try Duda Diesel for the thermostatic valve/shower we have in our RV now. Just over $100 though.
The “leaking shutoff valves” is actually the RV industries solution to preventing the scalding or blast of cold water issue that you just “actually” fixed. Many of the aftermarket shower heads for RV’s are marketed with the leaky valves, specifically that shower head you have in your house! In theory it is to let out all that over pressurized cold water and keep the cold water from back filling your hot water lines… But what ends up happening instead is, like you mentioned, the cold water fills the shower head line and then, while you are lathering up, you get a cold stream of water trickling down your back!
Great video, good work! I actually ended up here looking for a shut-off valve that others had used that really shut the water off!
The shutoff valve linked in the post is the bomb!
Agreed!
I found this one which appears to be identical, but is a bit cheaper. Like the one you link to, it is a complete shutoff.
https://amzn.to/3plqpvC
Thank you very much for the presentation. I couldn’t order the parts quick enough.
Lol. Hope you get it sorted out.
Good Luck!
You are Genius!
I tell Stef that all the time!!!
ok, so im no hydraulics expert but how , in a closed system such as an rv water system, can one hydraulic line (hot lets say) be at a different pressure than another line, connected to the same source of pressure? The system would need pressure regulation on the (in my example) hot side. And Rv’s are basically one hydraulic line with some branches….?
When you have check valves, and then say a regulator and a heat source on one side, then everything isn’t necessarily connected anymore, and the two sides can have different pressures.
I eventually went even further with this, and installed a thermostatic mixing valve in the bathroom.
Once you’ve tried that, there’s just no going back!
BRILLIANT!!
I have a Class C w/ a full shower, but I’ll bet if I look I can find a place in the hot water line where I can stick a check valve. Perhaps right at the water heater … Hmmmm.
THANK YOU!!
Good Luck!!
James, thanks for an excellent and extremely helpful video! Once you determined that the shutoff valve was needed, could the fix have worked without the check valve?
Without the check valve, I think I would still have gotten the cold blast (though I didn’t test this).
I think this because in our rig, there is a definite pressure difference between the hot and cold lines. The cold is at a higher pressure, and once the water was shut off and the hot and cold “connected” as it were, I believe the cold water would have pushed its way down the hot water line.
Like I said though… never tested this.
Now, we have a new solution altogether. I ultimately installed a thermostatic mixing valve for the shower. Always the same temperature, all the time!
James, would you provide info on or a link to the thermostatic mixing valve you used? Would this solution eliminate the need for the check valve? I will be purchasing a Travato 59GL after the first of the year and am lining up improvements as I see them on your site. By the way, the info you have given has been excellent, well presented, and spot on. Thank you very much.
Dave
This is the faucet I installed: https://www.dudadiesel.com/choose_item.php?id=KitchenValve-002
I did remove the check valves when I installed it, and we haven’t missed them. I also removed the extra diverter, and we just use the “volume” knob on the sink itself to shut off the water temporarily while we shower. It’s been working great, no complaints!
Dear James,
Like your great Li-ion revelations, your AC adjustments and model selections are right on. After more research, your AC company/model selections are even more strategic in brand evolution: picking the market leader in technology is helpful in the company staying around for product support down the road.
** Even if it is from your last iteration or two ago (for you), could you please reveal your thoughts on:
1) van alarms, 2) van locks, and/or 3) van safes?
( -> Without spilling the beans on yourself of course!) I am building a NV 3500 High Roof (kind of Fit) rv/van now and need whatever you can spare of your brilliance.
Kind Regards,
Phil
As far as van security, there are two basic options. Either try to prevent people from getting in, or draw attention to them once they’re in.
In the first camp would be things like the deadbolts that Advanced RV is installing. Also shatter proof window film (look up ACE security laminate).
In the other camp would be car alarms – there seem to be two kinds these days, the Viper and the Compustar. If you go this route, get one with an internal siren to make it extremely uncomfortable to stay in there.
You could always do both. Best of both worlds. That’s probably the best you can do these days.
As far as van safes, some manufacturers will bolt some in for you. Or you could always try something like the PacSafe Portable Safe to prevent the casual smash & grab theif.
Thanks James!
That’s perfect. I think I’m kind of covered now, but the protection film is very cool: (bullet proof! – I’ll ask for an insurance deduction 😀
The deadbolt locks looks very attractive. I’ve got Slick locks (I like that name), but they are one-way only. So the deadbolts looks like a camping mode improvement.
Thanks gratefully! You are batting 1.000 .
************************************************
And not that you need challenges or I’m not appreciative, but an analysis on vents would be nice from a Mechanical Engineering perspective. For example, Penguin II has a cfm of 335 and vents should not be greater cfm than ac vent flows. I am considering at least 2 -100 cfm fans at for the cab and over dry/compost toilet. It gets complicated with airflows, multiple fans, and ac/heat AND Humidity** You don’t have gas filled bubbles for measuring room air flows do you? Your measurement devices constantly amaze me.
This might be the most complicated thing about not getting a Winnebago to start with, but you are 2 steps (and about 20 years) ahead of the whole RV industry. I now have humidity and temp gages at the front and rear of the van ($20 🙂 to put a stick in the mud for starters, but would like something a little more systemic in the long run with historical evidence.
Thank You Sir!
Kind of an interesting direction – measuring airflows…
There are so many things in the RV that need to breathe/vent/etc. For the most part, we just kind of vent them to another space and call it good, but I wonder what the cumulative effects are.
Refrigerators, inverters, converters, the Truma Combi, the composting toilet, and the Air Conditioner. They all need to breathe.
I have an exterior shower at my house. The mixing valve is situated inside the house, I shut the water off either inside at the mixing valve or outside at the shower. When I only shut the water off outside, and leave the inside mixing valve open I get ”mixed” water on the cold water line; yes hot water flows into the the cold water circuit. The idea of installing a check valve on your system makes sense to me. BUT no exterior shower today it is freezing cold outside here in Montreal.
Thanks for the fix, we have the same problem on our brand new 2018 Coleman. One question, couldn’t the check valve be placed at the water heater outlet?
Thanks again,
Phillip Brown
You could try. Theoretically, since water is incompressible, anywhere after the water heater should work…
Thanks!
There is a check valve in the water heater outlet or you could never winterize!
I have always wanted to fix the cold water issue in my 2002 MiniWinne. This may be possible in the shower I have so I will start investigating how to get to my water lines in the shower.
I disagree with the crossflow theory. At the point of entry into the shower hose, the outlet of the faucets, the pressure of the two flows must be always equal. If one flow, the hot, is at a lower pressure than the cold, the flows will not mix.
The cold water cannot push the hot water backwards because there is no place for the hot water to go. The hot and cold plumbing share a common pressure source.
What most likely happens is that when the full shower flow is restricted by the leaky shutoff valve the reduced flow results is nearly no pressure drop from source to faucets. The faucets are not equally open, the cold faucet is open more than the hot and the flow mix is changed to be more cold than hot.
The fix would be to install only the full shutoff valve in place of the dribble valve. With the flow full shut off, the will be no water flow in the system because water pressure will be the same throughout the system. The water would be in a static condition. The hot water will stay hot enough in the plumbing during your soaping time that when the shutoff valve is opened the water mix will be very nearly at the original setting resulting in no cold shock at restart.
There would be no need for the check valves.
Respectfully submitted.
Well, you could try it, but I don’t think it would work in our case.
Yes, the hot and cold share a common pressure source, but there is an in-line pressure reducer on the hot water side of our rig, ahead of the water heater. That doesn’t exist on the cold side.
The hot water tank has some head space (air), which is compressible. Not a huge amount, but enough.
You could always try it without the check valve and let us know what happened.
As for me, I eventually replaced that setup with a faucet with a thermostatic mixing valve and a built-in diverter. That faucet handles everything on its own.
You’re right about the pressures being equal. It’s the density that is causing the crossflow. Cold water is denser (heavier) I think.
I installed the check valve on my hot water inlet hose to the shower. When I took it apart I noticed there was water in the hot water hose going up to the faucet. We go through and blow out all of our lines for winter. We live in Kansas, so it does freeze here. Before I put the check valve in I could blow back through the shower head. Which I obviously had not done. Do you have a suggestion of what to do now that the check valve in in place?
Good question!
I have the check valves in place in both my hot and cold lines, and I blow them out using compressed air. This does not hurt the valves.
When winterizing, I even work the shower to purge any water from the hose up to the shower head and this works just fine as well.
So, I don’t think you will have any trouble.
Now, if you wanted to blow the other way… from the shower head *back upstream*… that wouldn’t work with the check valves in place.
Well, I was just informed I will need both parts. So I am getting them. (Used your link) Thanks again. -Kelly
Certainly safer…
Holy MOLY, thank you so much! I have been looking all over the internet for answers to these questions as I can’t stand the cold water issue. It’s wasteful when it’s leaking and then it wastes more when you are waiting for it to get warm again. I am going to try the stopper valve (Was thinking of doing this even before I found your awesome video) and see what happens. WILL I GET SCALDED?? LOL! I doubt it.I am going to try without installing a backflow valve first. I even sent an email asking about this to Oxygenics earlier TODAY, wanting to know why they let them leak: is it a code thing? Thanks again!
Glad we could help. You’re going to love it!
The next time you have to apply teflon tape in a tite area, remove piece that will wrap your fitting at least 3 times. Wrap it on your index finger the opposite direction that you would apply it to the fitting. This removes the roll from the equation and makes for an easy application.
Good tip!
James you obviously care about the look of this great rig…how do you feel about the looks of the bathroom faucet knobs. I detest them! Have you considered replacing them? Any suggestions? They look like they are from a Motel 6. 🙁 BTW, love the videos!!! You guys are great.
Hi Alex –
Actually, Stef has requested a new bathroom fixture. It’s on the list! (Of course, my list is long…)
You might try the Travato Owners group on Facebook. I think some folks over there have replaced the faucet.
Thanks for the great video. Unfortunately the check valve would not fit behind my shower body as the wall is not deep enough. The good news is that the new shut off valve alone greatly reduces the cold water blast!
Bummer about the check valve. But glad to hear that the shut off worked for you.
Thanks for reading!
Is putting 2 check-valves (one for the Hot Water and One for the cold water ) would prevent any possibility of scalding?
Thanks for the video , very interesting
As long as the check valves were upstream of any connection between hot and cold piping. And as long as you took care of any dripping from the showerhead… yes, I believe it would.
(But I am not a licensed plumber, so I’d advise you to et a second opinion.)
what is the best way to flat tow and what cars can be flat towed? J
Hmmm. We don’t tow, we have a class B, so we’re not the best people to ask.
I always refer people to Motorhome Magazine for this kind of info. You can start here.
Since I use the dry method to winteruse (compressed air to clear the lines), do you have any ideas on how I could insure the outlet side of the check valves would be cleared of water? I currently use low point drains. I open the drains and all fauvets until nothing else comes out. Then I connect my air, let it blow, more water out, close all valves, pressurize to about 40psi, open low points. I repeat until I don’t see any more water from anywhere. Bill
I also winterize by the compressed air method. If I understand this correctly, I think it would still work. The air would push past the check valve and still clear out the water in the hose. If you take your time and really clear out the hot side of the shower hose when winterizing, I don’t think the minute amount of water would be enough to crack the valve or the fitting. Does that make sense? Dennis
Great Job ! I had wondered about our leaky shower head (2016 K) but hadn’t showered yet to learn that problem. Thanks for the fix !
Hope it helps!
Now that you are done and your problem is solved, in hindsight, do you think the check valve is really necessary? I’m thinking the shut off valve would solve the problem without the check valve.
Not criticizing, but thinking out loud. Thanks for the links and idea, I’m ordering the shut off valve for mine.
I do think the check valve was necessary. With the pressure difference as great as it was, I would certainly have had some crossflow until the pressures equalized. I think it would have made the problem worse.
As a follow up, showered after my race this weekend and it worked like a champ!
Here’s what I’d always heard: A standard showerhead shut-off valve drips to prevent the shower hose from bursting, stretching or leaking from the built-up pressure. The hose is supposedly less strong than standard piping and the drip relieves some of the pressure. Adding a shut-off at the base of the hose avoids that problem.
That’s an interesting theory. I could buy into that. But that still doesn’t explain why the shut off valves I purchased from the home center leaked on purpose. I guess you could say they were intended for the shower head end of things, but still… should be sold as something other than a “shut OFF valve”.
Out of curiosity, is there a hot / cold pressure difference when using the city water hooked up, or only when using the pump.
Hey Rocky! We suspect so initially, but it would equalize the longer you’re hooked up to city water. But this is just a guess, we’ve never hooked to city water.
The Truma has its own pressure regulator as part of its plumbing. I suspect the issue James fixed in this video came about because of that pressure regulator in the Truma line (no, don’t take it out though!). The cold water is coming in at whatever pressure is in the line, from the pump or from city water. The hot is further reduced in pressure. And there’s a lot of extra pluming, and the Truma itself, so adding it all up, the pressure will be lower on the hot side. I would expect this to happen on city water just as it does on the pump.
I suspect you’re right – the pressure difference would be there regardless of using the pump or city water.
Great tip, we have the same issue.
Looking at the shut-off valve on Amazon it I’d offered in 3 sizes… A size name field… Which one did you get?
Txs.
I ordered the “ABS Handle” model.
A plumber could explain better the difference between NPT and IPS threads.
My understanding is that the IPS versions seal with a washer, and NPT seals on the threads.
In this case, since I had a washer in place on the shower hose, I went with the IPS version. Chose the ABS handle because it seemed smaller, and it was a small fixture.
Thank you – I’ve ordered same.
Riddle me this…
If there is one water pump in the system, why oh why is there a difference betwixt the pressure of the hot and cold outlets?
I can understand that the flow rates could be different as the hot water has to go through more plumbing, but the pressure should be identical!
Congrats on the insulated interior plumbing! Makes me ever so slightly envious 🙂
My theory on the different pressures:
At the pressures we’re talking about, air is compressible. Water is not.
There would be a slight air space at the top of the hot water tank. That air compresses, and thus, the lower pressure in the hot water system.
I didn’t want to spend the time to test it, but if that is true, and I left them connected through the shower long enough, they would eventually equalize as the air compressed to the same pressure as the rest of the system.
Insulating the piping was a bear of a job, but I’m glad I did it!
Even with an air space, the pressures would still be equal, albeit lower. I think you are missing something fundamental, and should start all over again! 🙂 (Easy for me to say!)
Well, the pressures might be equal if the two sides of the system were equal (or close). But there are drain valves, check valves, regulators, Temperature/Pressure relief valves, and winterization plumbing on the hot water side that don’t exist on the cold water side.
I’m also mildly curious as to why the cold water side pulsed so much with the system sealed off. There were no leaks… why is that pressure dissipating so quickly?
Regardless of what causes the difference, its unpleasant consequences are fixed now!
Hi from over the pond. I have a Ducato based van, a Trigano Tribute, an Italian PVC as we call them here, Panal Van Conversion. It does not have your problem with the shower as it has a lever controlled tap ( faucet).
However I noticed during your vid that your pump was cycling badly. This problem can be fixed easily by fitting an accumulator tank, which contains an air bladder which you pressurised with a bike pump and this equals out the flow causing your pump to work both quieter and more smoothly. Stops those annoying clicks in the night as the pump pressures up the system. Fiamma make a small one and its easily fitted as close to the pump as possible.
Can I suggest a couple of free sites that might be of interest. My own, a free wilding forum for the UK and Europe http://www.motorhomingwild.org and the main site for our tribute buddies, that has a wealth of knowledge on the Ducato base it’s been built on for 10 years. http://www.tribby.co.UK.
I share many of your very helpful vids on both sites.
Welcome!
I’ve thought about an accumulator tank. But there’s very little space near the pump to mount one.
Previously, in another rig, I had swapped out the pump for a VSD pump. That had the same effect and worked well.
In the Travato, this hasn’t been enough of an issue to bother us. We try to only turn on the pump when we are directly using it.
I’ll be checking out those sites. Thanks for the links.
Cheers!
So, you left the cubby off of the sink so you can make use of the under cabinet storage?
Nah. It’s been put back and sealed up now.
James,
It seems there are some other things going on under your sink – I see at least one ball valve under there – so it seems having “easy” access under there would be beneficial. Do you need to get access there often and do you need to go through the “replace gasket and silicone” routine every time?
So that little gasketed cabinet – do you really use it? Or would it be better to just replace it with a “marine” access hatch and store whatever elsewhere?
That was only the second time I’ve been under there. The first was to install the insulation, extra trap, and ball valve as part of our Travato Winterproofing project. The ball valve shuts off the water to the exterior shower in back. I don’t see us turning that back on, ever, until we sell the Travato. (The exterior hose isn’t something we want or use.)
Stef does store things in the cabinet normally. I have thought about changing it somewhat to allow easier access to what’s behind. But it’s pretty far down my list.
We, or at least I, have not experienced the cold or hot water blast when taking a shower. BUT, every shower head we’ve used leaks when turned put on hold, UNTIL we finally found one at actually turns off. We found it from some online RV store. It’s named Relaqua. This is our third one and its a keeper.
Is this the shower head you found:
http://www.dyersonline.com/relaqua-chrome-compact-showerhead-with-on-off-switch.html
Great James
I like your determination to get to the bottom of a problem. Your fix is well thought out and I enjoy your showmanship.
Thanks for keeping us informed.
Mike
Thanks Mike!
There was a lot of, um… showmanship I left on the cutting room floor. Typical swearing-and-scraped-knuckles-and-banging-your-head-while-trying-to-work-under-the-sink kind of stuff…
Eventually got it solved, and we’re happy with the end result.
Genius! Thanks!
Great solution to a VERY annoying problem. If I can pull this off, I will be a hero.
And, I’m telling her it was my idea. Shhhh.
Thanks James!
Your secret is safe with me… 😉
My solution might be too simplistic, and certainly less entertaining. But since it’s a hand held shower head, why don’t you just aim it at the shower wall, floor or less sensitive body part for a couple of seconds when you switch on to flush the cold water. Probably won’t take too long or waste much water.
On another subject, in your video, I noticed you have an Oxygenics Body Spa shower head in your house. This shower head is often recommended as an RV upgrade shower head because of the reduced water consumption and good pressure. I’m surprised you don’t have one in your RV.
We were solving the problem your way. The trouble was, we kept forgetting!
You’re right about the Oxygenics in the house. I had installed one in our last RV, and we liked it there. I would prefer to install one in Lance.
But Stef is more picky about shower heads and she likes this one. Since she has… you know… HAIR, she gets the deciding vote.
I’m working on her though. Perhaps we’ll have one before too long.
From a Plumbers Son…spot on James and the combination of both valves did you right. To bad the industry can’t do that and I am sure it’s do to some sort of a liability question and or problem.
A problem of leaking hot or cold water fixed in a quick way! Thanks James for the clip for everyone to see to be able to handle this DIY project!
Mike
Thanks, Mike
(I didn’t actually consult a plumber before making the mod, so I appreciate the endorsement!)
Great piece of Investigative Reporting in a DIY video!! This should be “Required Viewing” for all RV Owners!
Thanks, Steve!
It took me three weeks to finally finish that video. Once I get started with something, I tend not to let it go…
Well a friendly massage therapist, I recommend hot and cold water showers to boost your immune system and keep you fit for cycling or yoga lol. However, I would jump not prefer it to have a cold blast. Thank you for the experiment and guidance.
I never thought of the cold blast as therapeutic!
Great YouTube DYI video James! I enjoy watching your videos and keep up the great work!
Thanks!
Good video, good tips, but you forgot to give a good view of the shutoff valve and how to actuate it.
I suppose I didn’t. It’s a quarter turn ceramic disc valve with a thumb lever. If you check out the link to the valve in the write-up, there will be detailed pictures of the valve, and it should be evident how to operate it.
Suffice it to say, I don’t think we’d have any problems, even with soap in our eyes!
If you are unsure if your hot or cold is higher pressure, or to be extra safe, install a check valve on both, hot and cold, then install the shutoff valve.
I had actually purchased two shut off valves to do just that, which I agree would work.
I elected not to install the other one because every connection is another opportunity for a leak. And since I had verified the pressures, I knew I was installing the one where it needed to be.
Great idea. I don’t have a meter/gauge to measure the water pressure. Buying two valves is probably cheaper than buying one valve and a gauge.
Yes, even decent quality metal bodied valves like I used are fairly inexpensive, and would give you extra piece of mind.
I already had the gauge. It’s not terribly expensive. I have this one http://amzn.to/24hAWoc, but there are cheaper ones.