Low Water Pressure
Your water pressure may be low for one or more reasons.
If every home in your neighborhood has low water pressure, the problem may not be related to your house, but to the entire area in which you live. In this case you’ll need to handle the problem by contacting the utility company that supplies your neighborhood with water and alert them to the problem. However, if your neighbors have good water pressure and your home does not, or parts of your home do not, then here are some steps you can take that may help to detect and resolve the low water pressure:
Find out which of your plumbing fixtures has low pressure.
If the low water pressure issue is isolated to a single faucet, you can check for a clogged faucet or damaged washer. If the problem is in your shower, see our section on Low Water Pressure in Shower.
If you can’t determine the cause, you can request a check by your water supplier. The serviceman may discover that a valve to the entire house or to an individual fixture is partially closed. Or, give us a call to schedule our service and we’ll come out right away to solve the problem for you.
If the cause is still not clear, your house may have older pipes that have rusted or become clogged with lime deposits. Your house may need new copper piping, and we can give you an estimate for doing this type of work. Also see the section on Rusted Pipes.
Low Water Pressure in Shower
Sometimes the water pressure in a home is fine, but the pressure in the shower is low. There may be a problem in the pipe leading to the showerhead, or the showerhead may be clogged.
To check whether the problem is the pipe or the showerhead, start by unscrewing the showerhead from the pipe.
Turn on the water so that you can check the flow coming from the pipe. If the water flow from the pipe seems to be okay, then probably the head needs cleaning or replacing. If the flow coming from the pipe is the problem, then that’s an entirely different problem and if you give us a call we can quickly evaluate the situation for you.
If the head is clogged, locate a small disc or screen where the water comes into the head. Before taking it out, notice which side is facing outward so that you can replace it correctly. If you need to, slide a knife or razor blade under it to pry it out.
If the screen is only slightly clogged, you can try using a straight pin or something similar to clean out the holes. If it is thickly coated with mineral deposits, let the shower head and screen soak in vinegar for a few hours. Then scrub off remaining deposits.
Rinse the showerhead and screen with water. Replace the screen and screw the showerhead back on.