Watts LF25AUB-Z3 Water Pressure Reducing Valve NPT Female Union x NPT Female, Polymer Seat, 3/4 Inch

Went in and works fine at about 3X less than they wanted for the same regulator at my local plumbing supply place. It is confusing why the price on the very same regulator varies from $159 on Amazon to all the way up to $550 at other places. It is also really confusing why the rebuild kit for these Watts regulators cost $125 when you can buy the complete replacement unit on Amazon for $159? (I hate having to drop these into the recycle due to the cost of the rebuild kits.)

This is an excellent replacement. The original was 35 years old and would no longer decrease water pressure. Works well easy to install .

Works just as intended. Dialed it into the set pressure and it works. Easy to install with npt fittings.

Great product, easy to instll, I always keep a spare

This is a good product. Has worked well and as advertised.

My house was built in 1966 and had a Watts 3/4" U5B series pressure reducing valve. According to the Watts website, the U5B is a higher performance/capacity model than this LF25AUB-Z3 3/4", and comparing the charts on the volume @pressure, there does appear to be a difference, but it looked small at the pressures that represent my operating environment. My old U5B was no longer regulating pressure, and so everything in my house was being subjected to 120psi that comes off my street. This is relatively close to the 150psi safety release on the hotwater tank and it was wreaking havoc with anything less than contractor grade garden hoses (blowing them apart after a few months in service). I became concerned that the high pressure might also destroy a toilet/sink supply line and in the worst case, flood the house while we were gone.I tried to get a repair kit for my U5B and by all accounts I ordered the right kit, but none of the parts fit. Maybe someone accidentally swapped the parts bags between two kits while comparing, or maybe the U5B I had was so old that the design had changed a bit. For whatever reason, the bell housing dimensions on my U5B did not match the dimensions specs noted by Watts. Even though "3/4" was clearly forged in the side of the valve and the sticker on it clearly read U5B. Anyway, I don't know if the old valve was Lead-Free or not. So I decided it was worth it to just order a new valve. The direct modern replacement for the U5B is going for around $300 +/-, depending on your source, and Amazon didn't have any sources.But the LF25AUB-Z3 3/4" was $80 shipped to my door. So I took a chance and ordered it. Installation was a breeze, turned off the main supply, opened a sink to bleed the pressure off the system, shut off the hot water heater, then just backed off the old unit and put the new one in. The new one is maybe 3/16" shorter in overall length, but there is plenty of slack/give in the copper pipes I have to allow for some differences in size.It's amazing the difference this has made for my appliances and what not. We used to get pretty bad water-hammer, installing arresters helped, but did not eliminate. With the new pressure reducing valve in place there is no more water hammer, my automatic icemaker is working clog-free, and the refrigerator door water dispenser works much better. I may miss the 120psi when it comes to working outside, but so far I love the new pressure and there is room to turn it up a bit. The valve comes factory preset to 50psi and can be adjusted up to 75psi. I don't recall the lower limit. Oh, and I took the old valve apart. To my surprise the diaphragm was perfectly intact. What had failed was the bypass valve. It appears to have rotted/worn away small enough to come apart and it got trapped by the screen. And another interesting fact was that I'm quite sure that screen had never been checked in the 49ish years it had been in service and it was perfectly clean, pretty cool.

The regulator was an exact replacement for the failed unit. The line pressure of the failed regulator would creep up over 100 PSI when water was not in use. In addition, the cap on the filter screen would always show water seeping thru the solid brass cap (due to porosity or corrosion on that part only). I have also seen pictures/video of other installed regulators with the cap corrosion.I considered a rebuild kit, but the screen cap was not available as a service part. In addition, the seal kit cost exceeds the purchase price of a full new replacement pressure regulator.

Exact fit for my old valve that had our water pressure at 90 psi which dropped to 20 psi as soon as any faucet was running. The Amazon price is half retail. Saved several hundred $$ installation fee by doing it myself. The pressure is factory set to 50 psi which seems low. Adjustable so I'll be cranking it up to 70 psi. Strongly encourage that you get the Watts water pressure gauge which just connects to an outdoor water faucet: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YMU8JCUPDATE: I just increased the factory set 50 psi to 70 psi and it made a significant difference. At 50 psi it feels under pressured, like not enough water is flowing, especially in the shower. 70 psi puts out 20% more water and it really feels good in the shower. You just have to turn the pressure adjustment bolt that sticks out from the top of the valve clockwise until the pressure reads correctly. I've read that normal residential plumbing appliances are designed for a maximum of 80 psi. Above that could damage them.