Low water pressure is one of the most common afflictions that befalls our homes and with more of us spending more time at home now than ever before, it’s never been more important to start the day with a good hot shower.
There’s something so unsatisfying about a weak shower and rather than simply tolerating it, you could be just a few quick fixes away from the healthy flow of your dreams.
So don’t tolerate a trickle and take a quick gander at our 5 top ways to increase water pressure in your home.
- Ask the neighbours -There’s a small chance that it could be a problem not with your system but with the local water system in general.
Ask your neighbours if they are experiencing similar issues and if they are, it could be because your local water system has got clogged or built up somewhere. In this case, your best course of action is to directly ask the local council to intervene.
If the council won’t help then you could install a water pressure booster pump that will dramatically boost the water pressure in your home, though you’ll certainly want to hire a plumber to fit it.
- Test water pressure – If everything is fine over at your neighbour’s then it’s probably a problem with your own water pressure.
Before calling in a plumber though, you can test the water pressure yourself using a test gauge that can be screwed onto a hose at the end of your faucet.
Ensure all appliances that use water are switched off and turn the faucet to full blast. If the rating is any lower than 60 then your water pressure is probably too low.
- Clear clogs – This is the most common cause of water pressure reduction. Over time, pipes will not only get clogged up with hair and debris, and all other kinds of nasty stuff, but can also build up mineral deposits that prevent water from flowing properly.
If the problem is severe then it will require a plumber to come in and remove certain parts of the plumbing but first, try using a dissolving agent like vinegar or a store-bought unblocking agent to see if it does the trick.
We’d never recommend sticking anything down your pipes though as that will generally only make the problem worse if it gets trapped.
- Open the valve – If that doesn’t work then the last step to try yourself is checking to see if the main water valve or ‘stopcock’ that controls the water flow into your home is fully open. This is easy to do yourself as it’s as simple as turning a tap.
The stopcock is generally located in the kitchen underneath the sink but it will depend on your home.
- Call in the professionals – If that doesn’t work then the problem probably necessitates calling a local plumber. It could be anything from leaky pipes to a problem with your regulator that will need to be replaced.
Whatever the issue, if it’s something quite complicated then trying to fix it yourself is likely to land you quite literally in hot water and only make the problem worse.