Previously we spoke about Home Water Pressure Problems, but poor water pressure inside of the home can be a highly frustrating problem, especially because it often remains so elusive to diagnose correctly. To make things worse, many homeowners fail to understand some basic information about water pressure. If you would like to boost your overall knowledge of this subject, read on. This article will present two commonly overlooked facts about poor water pressure.
The issue may be caused by your main shutoff valves.
Those who experience pressure issues at all of the fixtures in their home often assume that the problem is a constriction in their main water supply pipe. While this may be the case, there is another equally common reason for the low pressure: the main shutoff valves are not open all the way. As you likely already known, the main shutoff valves control the flow of all the water entering your home. A valve that is only partially open will admit much less water–resulting in much lower pressure.
The idea pressure reading is anywhere between 45 and 55 psi.
To many people, water pressure can only have one of two general states: good or bad. While such subjective judgments are always important, they tend to blind some people to the fact that water pressure can–and should–be assigned a specific value. There are two ways to accomplish this. The first is simply to call your municipal water department and ask them to conduct a pressure reading on the water supply.
The second method is to conduct such a reading on your own. This can easily be done using an inexpensive water pressure gauge, which you can find at most any home improvement store. Simply screw the gauge onto an outdoor water spigot and turn on the water. The gauge will instantly give you a pressure reading. The ideal pressure should fall between 45 and 55psi. Anything lower than this indicates that the city water pressure is simply too low.
For more information about diagnosing water pressure problems in your Forest Hills home, contact the pros at Kew Forest Plumbing & Heating.
