It’s extremely annoying when your home’s water pressure is low. It makes washing the dishes and taking a shower much more difficult. You don’t have to live with low water pressure in your home. Here’s what causes low water pressure and some of the options you might want to consider to fix the problem.
The most common cause of low water pressure (especially if you have a municipal water supply) is small pipe sizes. Let’s use milkshakes as an analogy: If you use a bigger straw, you’re going to be able to drink more of the milkshake at once. The same thing applies to your plumbing’s pipes. If the water line is too small, the amount of water that can be used at one time will be limited. That means that if you’re taking a shower, doing the laundry, and running the dishwasher at the same time, the line just won’t be able to keep up with the demand.
When people say they don’t have enough water pressure, their main concern might be a matter of not having enough water volume. Simply increasing the volume of water you’re getting at an outlet will make a huge difference. There are a couple of ways to get this done. Simply installing a larger sized pipe will deliver a high enough volume of water to meet the demand. Another option would be to install a pressure booster pump. (It boosts the pressure in an existing pipe.) By increasing the water pressure in the same size pipe, you’re going to be able to deliver more water.
There are also contaminants that can potentially restrict the water flow. If you live on a well that is experiencing iron buildup, it can cause the pipes, valves, and filters to become restricted. Another thing that might restrict water flow is the small screen that’s on each faucet (called an aerator). It can build up debris and particles that will inhibit the flow to the outlet. To alleviate the problem, you can unscrew the aerator from the outlet and give it a thorough cleaning.
Restricted water flow can also affect your washing machine. Washing machine hoses have screens over them that tend to collect grit and grime over time. If it looks like there isn’t adequate pressure when you’re washing your clothes, you can take the hose apart and clean it out to make sure that water flow is maximized.
If you have a home that’s built on a concrete slab, sometimes the water lines are installed underneath it. If they were ever to develop a hole in them, you’ll end up losing a lot of pressure. Imagine if someone had a hole in one of their arteries. Their heart would have to try and overcome the leak and still pump enough blood to the extremities. That’s kind of what happens if the water lines would ever develop a leak. The hole needs to be located and fixed to solve the problem.
If you’re noticing any of these signs in your home’s water pressure, give us a call so we can diagnose the problem and come up with an effective solution. Contact us online or give us a call at (540) 685-0366.
