3 Questions About Water Pressure In Your Home
Does the water pressure in your home not feel right? Fortunately, this is not a problem you have to live with forever. Simply consider the following questions.
Is There A Thing As Normal Water Pressure?
While water pressure is going to fluctuate depending on where you live, you can expect standard water pressure to be around 40 to 60 PSI. There are gauges that you can purchase at your local home improvement store that will help you measure the water pressure. Just screw it onto a faucet, turn the water on, and see the current water pressure level instantly.
Why Does Water Pressure Drop?
Water pressure can drop when more people in your home are using water at the same time. For example, this includes instances when two people are showering at once, or when someone is using an outdoor sprinkler while trying to perform another task with water. However, water pressure can also drop when you have problems with the supply coming into your home. This is more often the case when dealing with well water and the pump is malfunctioning. People that use water from their local municipal source should see consistent water pressure levels coming into their homes.
A common reason for water pressure to gradually drop over time in older homes is if they still have galvanized plumbing. Homeowners may not realize that these pipes rust on the inside, which causes the diameter of the pipe where water flows through to become smaller as the rust builds up. A smaller pipe will cause water pressure to decrease, but it may happen so slowly that you do not realize it has happened. Hot water tanks can also have their regulators fail, which control how much hot water leaves the tank when you open a hot water faucet.
What Can You Do About Low Water Pressure?
There are some basic things that you can do when you realize that you have low water pressure. If the problem is on a specific faucet, it's worth checking for an aerator that is installed. This aerator could be trapping debris and limit the amount of water that comes out of the faucet, and simply cleaning or replacing the aerator can fix the problem. You can also call a plumber to see how they can fix the problem for you. It could involve replacing parts of your hot water heater, replacing plumbing, adding a water pressure regulator, or fixing your well pump.
For more information, contact a company like Michigan Plumbing
