Are your home’s faucets outputting an irregularly poor water pressure, and you can’t figure out why? Check out these five possible causes of low water pressure in your home for answers.
Old Fixtures
If you’ve isolated the water pressure issue to an individual fixture, then that is a telltale sign that the problem is with the induvial faucet. As faucets become older, they can erode and become clogged themselves. Homes that haven’t been updated in multiple decades are likely to have this problem, but it can happen in modern houses if cheap fixtures were installed.
Partially Turned Off Valve
Every home has two valves that control the water. There is one in your home and one by the meter. If either one of them is slightly closed, it will dramatically decrease the amount of water that can get to your home.
Roots in Pipes
If the pipes leading into your home ever get cracked, roots might start to grow into your system. The nearby plants will be attracted to the moisture of the pluming, and the roots will spread until they fill up the pipes. This clogging will obviously cause problems, and you’ll need a professional’s help to help you get rid of any roots in your sewer line.
Clogged Pipes
Outside of overgrowing roots, there’s a lot of reasons that a plumbing system could become clogged, making it ineffective. Builders no longer use galvanized steel in piping because, over time, they can fill with material deposits and rust from decay. However, many people still have homes full of it. If you think your pipes are clogged, you’ll have to call a plumber for confirmation because the only way to be positive is by opening it up and looking.
Faulty Pressure Regulator
If you only have an extremely high water pressure or low water pressure, this could mean that your pressure regulator isn’t leveled correctly. For a home’s water pressure to be working correctly, your regulator needs to be within 45 and 60 psi.
If someone has moved it outside of this range, then you’ll need to reset it. You can adjust the regulator by turning the screw on the tip: clockwise to tighten and counterclockwise to loosen. Just make sure you turn the screw gradually because it is very sensitive.
Now that you know these five possible causes of low water pressure in your home, you can identify the problem with your plumbing.