When The Water Pressure Gets Low

If you notice that your shower is weaker than normal or if it’s taking too long for your bucket to fill, then chances are, there is an issue with your water pressure. Here are a few simple things that you can do when the water pressure in your home is low.

Inspect your water supply fixtures

Inspect all your faucets, showerheads, and other water fixtures in your home by turning them on one at a time to check the water pressure for each. Old fixtures can become faulty as rust and sediments can be accumulated through time. If the problem is with the fixture, then it would be an easy fix because you only need to purchase and install a new one.

Check your valves

After there’s no problem with your fixtures, then it’s time to check your valves. Both the water meter valve and the main house shutoff valve should be completely open. The water meter valve belongs to your water provider and is located outside of your house while the main house shutoff valve is typically placed inside your house. If the valves are only half-open, then do open it fully and check if that fixes the issue. Check out this good read from yesterdays blog!

Check your pressure regulator

Not all homes are equipped with pressure regulators but if you have this installed in your home, then it’s the next thing that you need to inspect. This mechanism controls the amount of water that flows in your fixtures. To inspect it, you will need a water pressure gauge. Install the pressure gauge in a fixture that’s nearest to your regulator and record the pressure. Once you have that first reading, open another fixture in your home to create a demand and record the new reading. If it drops to more than 15 psi, then it means that your pressure regulator is no longer working properly.

Inspect your water pipes

Leaking water pipes can affect the pressure of your water, check if there’s any dripping sound or bubbling paint near any of your fixtures. If you don’t have corrosion-proof pipes, then check for any signs of corrosion. Testing your water’s copper content using a kit would be the easiest way to identify if you have corroded pipes. If the problem is caused by corroded pipes, then re-piping it would be the only solution.

Check your water provider for any issue

Try calling your water provider and check for any issue on their end. Maintenance, planned works, emergency repairs, and even natural disasters can affect their services. If the problem is with your water provider, then there is nothing that you can do on your end but wait and allow them to resolve the issue.

Identify if you’re sharing pipelines

A shared pipeline can cause your water pressure to drop especially if you’re sharing it with a household with high water demand. You may separate and get your own network for your property but you will have to shoulder the expenses. Purchasing a pressure regulator to catch up with your demand would be the most cost-effective thing to do to fix the issue.

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