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As long as your water pressure is adequate enough to let you shower and wash dishes or clothes in peace, you don’t really notice when there’s a problem. However, there is a delicate balance between low and high pressure that your pipes must maintain. When a problem arises, you and your plumbing fixtures could suffer. Use this guide to learn more about water pressure and when it may be time to call a plumber.

What’s Normal Water Pressure?

The water pressure in most residential homes is between 40 psi and 80 psi. Anything below 40 psi is considered low and will probably make a notable difference in your water use, but anything above 80 psi is likely to put too much strain on the plumbing and fixtures, leading to eroded pipes that leak water and will eventually bust if not repaired or replaced. 

What Affects Water Pressure?

plumberThere are many factors outside and inside the home that can affect your water pressure level. For instance, the location and height of the tank or tower from the community’s water main plays a significant role. The size of the main, the number of homes connected to it, your home’s distance from the main, and the service line's size connected to the main will all impact pressure before it makes it to your home.

Some communities account for all of these factors and use a booster station. This structure contains pumps designed to increase the pressure and volume of water flowing from the water main to specific lines in the service pipes to overcome gravity, distance, and general lack of city water pressure. 

Inside the house, the pressure can also be affected by several factors. Clogged pipes are often the most common cause of low water pressure. Over time, hair, soap, dirt, oil, grease, fat, and food debris can build up along the plumbing and reduce water flow.

If you have hard water, calcium and magnesium will also contribute to this buildup. These minerals will cling to the sides of the pipes and leave a filmy scale over your faucets that make it increasingly difficult for water to pass through. Fortunately, having a plumber clean your lines at least once a year, and installing a water softener can prevent clogs from becoming an issue. 

Old galvanized plumbing systems, however, can frequently come back to haunt you. If you have an older home and haven’t updated the plumbing, it probably has these pipes. As they corrode, it’s normal for the lines to get clogged and for leaks to develop. Both problems can cause a drop in water pressure, and if tree roots are growing nearby, they can start to grow through the plumbing when seeking water, increasing the problem.

There are also times when a household has a higher water demand than what is available. If you notice the pressure only drops when more than one fixture or appliance is in use, have a plumber take a look at your water heater, lines, and pressure-regulator valve (PRV)—a device that increases or decreases water flow before it enters your home. This issue commonly occurs when the lines used to divert water to these areas are not the right size or if the PRV is failing.

What Are the Signs of Low Water Pressure?

plumberIn most instances, low water pressure is first detected in the shower or at the kitchen sink. When the water coming out is nothing more than a trickle, it will take longer to bathe and wash dishes. While you might not visually see the water in your washing machine and dishwasher, you will probably hear them taking longer to fill up.

To determine if the problem is isolated or affecting the entire house, check the hot and cold faucets at every fixture. It’s common for a drop at a single point to be caused by a dirty aerator—the point at the end of the faucet that adds air to reduce splashing and water flow—, but cleaning the mesh screen inside it can solve the problem.

An isolated event might also be caused by a clog in the specific line leading to that fixture. If two or three water points are having a problem, but everywhere else is fine, it’s probably due to a clog in a line they share. 

However, if only the hot water throughout your home is affected, it’s probably a problem with your water heater. When a hot water heater accumulates a large amount of sediment and mineral buildup inside the tank, a blockage can occur that causes a drop in pressure. You might also notice the water is taking much longer to heat up. 

A problem can also occur if the shut-off valve on the hot water heater is partially or completely closed. However, if opening doesn’t correct the issue or the valve doesn’t stay open, call a plumber immediately for repairs.

What to Do About Whole-Home Low Water Pressure?

plumberIf the entire home is suffering from low water pressure, locate your water main to determine if both shut-off valves are fully open. Usually, you can find these valves outside of the home, where the water supply enters the home and near the water meter. It’s normal to close them when doing construction on the home, and utility crews will commonly turn off the water meter valve when performing maintenance in the area.

If shut-off valves are fully open, move on to the PRV. Usually, it can be found near the main shut-off valve, which is where the main water line enters the house. While not found in every home, this valve is useful in areas where the municipal water supply enters the home at high or irregular pressures and could damage your pipes and appliances. 

When the PRV starts to fail, it can cause water pressure inconsistencies. Usually, this is too much pressure, but it’s not uncommon for it to also cause a significant drop. Test it by attaching a pressure gauge to an outside faucet that is fully opened.

While watching the gauge, slowly loosen the screw on top of the regulator to increase the pressure. If the pressure doesn’t increase, there is likely a problem with the municipal main.

How to Test Water Pressure?

Testing your home’s water pressure at least once a year is an easy way to determine if there might be a problem with your plumbing. The easiest way to do this is by purchasing a pressure gauge and installing it on the water spigot closest to the supply line to get an accurate reading. 

Turn off all the water inside your home before testing and make sure to open the valve fully to avoid a false low reading. Ideally, the reading should be somewhere between 40 psi and 70 psi. If it is maxing out, there could be something wrong with the PRV, but if it is too low, there is likely a problem at the water main. 

In the event you do get an initial high reading, test the pressure again at your washing machine’s cold water supply faucet. If the water entering the home is too high, it will most likely affect this appliance first by blowing out the flex lines and hoses, causing a flood in your laundry room. 

If you don’t have a pressure gauge, sit a one-gallon bucket under a spigot located on the bottom floor or basement of your home, where the pressure is closest to the main water supply. Turn on the faucet and use a watch or stop clock on your phone to time how fast the bucket fills up. When it’s full, divide 60 by the number of seconds it took to fill it up to get the gallons per minute. The average home shouldn’t have a pressure below six gallons per minute, which can indicate blocked or leaking pipes.

 

If you’re tired of dealing with low water pressure, contact the professional plumbers at Joe Klosterman Plumbing for a fast solution. Since 1983, this family-owned and -operated plumbing company has provided quality repair, construction, and remodeling services to home and business owners in Cincinnati, OH. Their licensed plumbers are able to assist with everything from drain cleaning to waterline replacements. Call them today at (513) 941-6766 to schedule an appointment, and visit their website to learn more about their services.

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