While it’s not the end of the world, low water pressure in your house can be a tedious and frustrating problem. While clogged drains and poor water outtake are the more common issues for calling a plumber, low water pressure can often be a sign of more severe problems plaguing your home. Before we tell you how to fix low water pressure in your house, we must go over how to diagnose whether you have an issue with your water pressure.
How to Fix Low Water Pressure in House
The first thing you should do when checking for water pressure problems is to check if the issue is localized or if your entire house is affected. You’ll need to open all your faucets. The kitchen, bathroom, outdoor, and basement faucets will all need to be checked for low water pressure. Running water through them will allow you to quickly check whether only one of the taps is affected or if low pressure persists throughout your house.
Additionally, you’ll have to run both cold and hot water through your faucets. If you’re only experiencing an issue with your hot water, you most likely have a problem with your boiler or water heater.
Now that you know if your issue is centered on only one or a number of faucets in your house, you can go about fixing your low water pressure. Opening up the tap and checking the aerator are the quickest ways to see improvements. Soaking the aerator in a vinegar solution will clean off any debris. You can also purchase a replacement aerator to adjust the water flow in that faucet. If your faucet has low water pressure with the aerator off, the issue is most likely in its input pipes. You can try to replace the faucet itself, which isn’t incredibly costly or difficult to do. All you have to do is shut off the faucet’s water valve beforehand.
If your issues span the entire house, you’ll need to go through a few more steps to try and fix your low pressure problem.
Go Around Your Neighborhood
If you’re experiencing low water pressure in your house, check with your neighbours around the block to see if they have the same issues. If your entire block has poor water pressure, chances are the issue is with your city’s water supply. The only way to fix the problem is to contact your water supplier and make sure they are aware of the underlying problem. If they’re working on it, all you have to do is wait.
However, if there are no problems with your water supplier, you’ll need to take matters into your own hands. While knowing how to fix low water pressure in your house is usually left for professional plumbers, you can still take some steps to remedy the issue before you summon experienced technicians.
Check Your Water Valves
If you’re experiencing low water pressure after having emergency repairs done to your house, the most likely culprit is the main shutoff valve. While you might not have messed with it since you moved in, chances are the handymen that did the repair didn’t turn the water valve all the way open when they finished their work.
If your main water shutoff valve isn’t open completely, you’ll know. If it’s a gear, it needs to go counter clockwise as far as it can. If it’s a lever, it has to be parallel to the pipe it’s connected to. Turning the water valve open all the way will improve your water pressure.
The second valve controlling your water intake is the water meter valve. Usually, you don’t touch it unless you ordered some repair immediately close to the valve itself. Your water meter valve might be located out of reach, but if you’ve had some emergency repairs done on your pipeworks, the technicians might not have opened it all the way.
Check Your Pressure Regulator
Not all homes come equipped with a pressure regulator. If you know that your house doesn’t have a pressure regulator, then you can skip this step.
If you suspect your pressure regulator is failing, attach a water pressure gauge to an outside spigot, preferably one closest to the regulator. If the gauge reads a lower water pressure than the regulator reports, it might be time to replace it.
While you can replace a pressure regulator on your own, it can be a good idea to call for professional backup. MT Drains & Plumbing will be happy to help with your pressure regulator problems if you’re in Vaughan or the surrounding areas.
Check Your Pipes
One of the most common causes of low water pressure can be your pipes. Clogged or corroded pipes can cause not only low water pressure but also be a severe health hazard as they’ll taint your drinking water.
You may also have added additional water fixtures to your home. If so, the branch lines of your pipeworks may be working overtime and corroding quicker than they’re supposed to.
Steel pipes can corrode after only 20 years of use, so knowing when your pipes were first laid can help determine if you need repiping. Copper pipes have a more stable lifespan of 50 years, while brass ones can last up to 70 years.
Repiping your home can be a tricky business, especially if you’re dealing with input pipes. If you’re doing the work on your own, be careful with the chemicals used for treating the pipes as they can affect drinking water quality. It’s best to call a professional plumbing company to do the job for you, and MT Drains & Plumbing can help you with all your repiping efforts if you’re in and around Vaughan, ON.
Make Sure You’re Not Sharing Pipes
If you’re not the original occupants of the house, you may not know how the pipes were laid out when it was being built. Older houses and apartment buildings may have water shared between a few households. While that doesn’t mean you’re paying for their water, it might mean that your neighbours are causing your low water pressure.
If you only notice your water pressure dipping when your neighbours are using a lot of water at once (for example, showers), then you’re most likely sharing pipes with them.
You’ll need to decide how bearable it is to share your water supply with your neighbours. Try adjusting your routine to ensure you have adequate water pressure when you need it.
If you decide to repipe your house and not share water with your neighbours, you’ll have to do your research to see if it’s feasible. MT Drains & Plumbing can’t force your water supplier to give you a private valve, but we can repipe your home to better suit your needs and install a pump to rectify your low water pressure issues.
Call Professionals
If you’re stumped, you can always call for professional help. MT Drains & Plumbing know how to fix low water pressure in house and we offer free diagnostics and on-site estimates to give you the best price for the job. We offer the finest plumbing services in Vaughan, ON, and the surrounding areas, so don’t hesitate to give us a call and get your plumbing fixed up in no time.
