Identifying the root cause of your low water pressure is essential. If you attempt to fix the problem blindly, you will fail to resolve it in the best-case scenario. At worst, you may damage your home’s plumbing and make the situation even more expensive.
How to Increase Water Pressure in Your House
- Check if There Are Water Pressure Issues in the Area
- Inspect the Pump
- Change the Setting of Your Pressure-Reducing Valve
- Remove Pipe Blockages
- Fix Leaks
- Check Your Water Purifier
- Fix Your Pressure Regulator
- Talk to Your Water Department
- Use a Water Pressure Booster
1. Check if There Are Water Pressure Issues in the Area
Before you begin, talk to your neighbors to find out if anyone else has been experiencing similar issues with low water pressure. There may be a significant outage that is affecting everyone. It may also turn out that one of your neighbors has a problem with their plumbing, and it’s propagating to nearby households.
2. Inspect the Pump
Check your water pump first. If you’re using one, it’s the most likely cause of your problems. Some pump-related issues tend to be easy to resolve, while others will require a professional. You should attempt to inspect the situation on your own to the best of your abilities but don’t mess with the pump any further to avoid damaging your plumbing.
3. Change the Setting of Your Pressure-Reducing Valve
Your pressure-reducing valve might also need adjustment. This can happen if there have been changes in the overall pressure of your plumbing or the network you’re connected to. If you don’t adjust the valve to match the new settings, you may be left with reduced water pressure in your home. Make sure to only make minor, incremental adjustments. This will help you avoid setting the pressure too high, which can cause problems of its own.
4. Remove Pipe Blockages
A clogged pipe can also cause your pressure to drop, especially if it’s in a critical area of your plumbing. Removing debris from your pipes should be done with the help of a professional. While you may be able to reach some blockages yourself, especially if you have a drain snake, you should leave any deeper issues in the hands of someone experienced who knows how to avoid damaging your pipes. If the problem is deeper in your pipes, the tools available at home won’t be of much help either.
5. Fix Leaks
Leaks are another common source of pressure problems, but they’re thankfully something you can often fix yourself with the right tools and a bit of free time. Small leaks are easy to fix, even without any prior experience. Just make sure to familiarize yourself with the process in as much detail as possible before starting to work on your pipes. And for any larger leaks, always call a plumber, especially if the leak can damage sensitive parts of your home, such as wooden panels or electrical installations.
6. Check Your Water Purifier
Using a water purifier? If the device malfunctions, it could cause water pressure problems throughout your house. Many domestic water purifiers use a passive design, meaning that the purifier just acts as an extension to one of your pipes, and water flows freely through it. But if the purifier uses any pumps or other mechanisms to improve the water flow, it could cause problems with your plumbing if one of those pumps malfunctions.
Issues with your water purifier should always be handled by qualified experts. You should get in touch with your purifier’s manufacturer for an initial consultation.
7. Fix Your Pressure Regulator
A malfunctioning pressure regulator is another common cause of water pressure issues. Fixing it yourself can be trickier than it seems, and it’s not something that’s recommended to take a DIY approach to. This almost always calls for a plumber, especially if your home’s plumbing is older and requires more specialized work.
Don’t be afraid to look around the pressure regulator and see if you can spot the problem. But once you’ve identified what’s wrong, take a step back and let the professionals take over if you don’t want further damage.
8. Talk to Your Water Department
If none of these fixes work, it’s time to call your water department. There may be a general outage in your area that also affects your home. This is not something you can fix yourself if it turns out that this is the issue, but at least you’ll know that the problem is out of your reach and it’s being worked on.
Take note of the date and time you first contact your water department about this. If the problem persists and you need to take legal action, it would be good to have a paper trail that documents your interaction in as much detail as possible. Otherwise, the company could easily claim that the issue is more recent than it actually is in an attempt to buy more time.
9. Use a Water Pressure Booster
If the water pressure in your house is still low and you can’t increase it with any of the above methods, you should purchase a pressure booster. This device does exactly what its name implies, and it’s easy to hook up to your plumbing and get it started.
You should carefully evaluate all models available on the market to ensure that you’re getting one that can work well with your current plumbing. It’s also a good idea to spend more on this purchase, as it’s a long-term investment into your home.
How to Increase Water Pressure Bottom Line
A variety of factors can cause issues with your home’s water pressure. You must verify what the problem is before attempting to resolve it. You must also have a good understanding of your own limits and be able to identify cases where taking a DIY approach to something is a bad idea. Don’t be afraid to extend your budget when you need to pay for a repair or upgrade to a plumbing component. This is the kind of expense where spending a bit more can go a long way toward getting some peace of mind for the future.