Low water pressure. Need your advice!

[grambow]

I have very low water pressure from the outside faucets on the house I just moved into 2 weeks ago. Below are the facts. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated!

I live in Wisconsin. There are no water restrictions in my sub division. I have city water as opposed to well.
The water pressure seems to be about half of what I would expect/experienced at the house I just moved from.
There is barely enough pressure to go through a 25' hose. I actually need 50' as the faucet is on the side of the house and not the front. The pressure doesnt seem much less when I connect the additional 25'.
I checked the inside shut-off for the faucet and it is all the way open.
Both the side and back faucet have equally poor pressure.
The rest of the house seems fine. I would say it is about 90% of what I would consider good pressure (showers and such).

I am hoping someone here is a plumber and can offer advice or someone has had the same problem. I am not sure what can be done...if it has something to do with the plastic lines as opposed to copper, or if I can replace the faucets with non restricted ones if mine are indeed restricted.

[BillE]

Give your local 'water folks' a call and ask them to do a pressure check. They will know what they are putting into the system and all the 'math' for distance drop, ETC., and should give you a good idea of what you should have.

You may have something as simple as a washer that has come apart.

Just a question, is your water from a 'tower' or 'pumped' from a reservoir? Distance WILL make a difference if you are pulling from a water tower.

Bill

[grambow]

Give your local 'water folks' a call and ask them to do a pressure check. They will know what they are putting into the system and all the 'math' for distance drop, ETC., and should give you a good idea of what you should have.

You may have something as simple as a washer that has come apart.

Just a question, is your water from a 'tower' or 'pumped' from a reservoir? Distance WILL make a difference if you are pulling from a water tower.

Bill

Thanks! I gave them a call and they're coming out to test it out. I THINK my water comes from a reservoir as opposed to a tower...and I am less than a mile from said reservoir...I THINK. I will keep this updated with what I find for future generations to find.

[charleyh2]

Here is a short list of what may be causing it. It sounds like you have determined inside faucets are fine but, outside is an issue.

Check the outside faucet for a back-check device. It will be brass and threaded on the end of the hose bib where you connect the hose end. I've seen trash build up on these, thus restricting flow.

If that's not causing then I would look for a pressure regulator that may be bad and or adjusted wrong. Not knowing your house and how old and of new, I've seen where there have been separate circuits for outside and interior coming off a regulator. A long shot but have seen it a few times where the screen on these was clogged.

The valves themselves could be clogged with debris from stuff in the water and or if previous owner never used it that often. You can disassemble them after you shut the main off and see. If your like me and have my luck , you will end replacing as I e had many break when I put a wrench to it.

It sounds like your going to get someone to verify the pressure. Thai will be great as you will know what you have. You would want at least 40-50 at a minimum. Some cities only state they offer 30psi. Not great but it is doable.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[grambow]

Here is a short list of what may be causing it. It sounds like you have determined inside faucets are fine but, outside is an issue.

Check the outside faucet for a back-check device. It will be brass and threaded on the end of the hose bib where you connect the hose end. I've seen trash build up on these, thus restricting flow.

If that's not causing then I would look for a pressure regulator that may be bad and or adjusted wrong. Not knowing your house and how old and of new, I've seen where there have been separate circuits for outside and interior coming off a regulator. A long shot but have seen it a few times where the screen on these was clogged.

The valves themselves could be clogged with debris from stuff in the water and or if previous owner never used it that often. You can disassemble them after you shut the main off and see. If your like me and have my luck , you will end replacing as I e had many break when I put a wrench to it.

It sounds like your going to get someone to verify the pressure. Thai will be great as you will know what you have. You would want at least 40-50 at a minimum. Some cities only state they offer 30psi. Not great but it is doable.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Okay, So the guy from the water utility was out today and ran a pressure test. The result was 56 psi. Is 56 enough? And if I am getting 56 psi, is it all in my head that I am not getting enough pressure? If I am getting 56 here, I must have been around 100psi at my previous house. FYI, my house is 7 yrs old.

[FUNX650]

Okay, So the guy from the water utility was out today and ran a pressure test. The result was 56 psi. Is 56 enough? And if I am getting 56 psi, is it all in my head that I am not getting enough pressure? If I am getting 56 here, I must have been around 100psi at my previous house. FYI, my house is 7 yrs old.
-Was it the water pressure test done at the outside hose bib that read 56 psi...
or at some other "faucet" like the washing machine spigot?

-40-55 psi is usually considered good water pressure where I've lived.

-You can always pull a plumbing permit and install a water pressure booster-system
in order to get the pressure up to around 60-65 psi

-Too much water pressure (~75+ psi) can be very harmful to appliances such as washing machines
and automatic dishwashers...even the faucets' washers, shower-heads, etc.


:)

Bob

[Pureshine]

I know that your house psi should be between 65-80 anything past 80 is not good for your pipes. On your water main shut off valve there should be a screw on it if you turn it clock wise it gives you more pressure and counter clock wise less.

[blackwaterstout]

When I bought my house I shut the water off at the main outside my house and put an HD ball valve before the pressure regulator and ran copper to a new outside hose bib. The result is the house water pressure is 60 lbs but the hose bib is 3/4" copper putting out 115 lbs of water pressure. The copper can withstand much higher pressure but the downside is that I've blown out some cheaper hoses. I've had to purchase higher end commercial style garden hoses. Its great for sprinkers and watering lawn. And washing cars.

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[Paul Mitchell]

I had a plumber test my water pressure once and it was in excess of 40 pounds but my problem was flow. I have pressure but only have enough flow for six gallons a minute so really can't use a fire hose nozzle. I believe my pipes are under sized. Think of a pressure washer that has high pressure but minimal flow. Maybe your gallons per minute (flow) is your problem. Use a five gallon bucket or two and your watch to check your flow rate.

[BillE]

If you have the pressure, remember ANY type of restriction will decrease the quantity of water coming out the other end, giving you the impression of low pressure.

A big restrictor is the common hose bib. Ya know, the 'regular' ones with a handle you turn. They take a 3/4 inch pipe and work it down to about 3/8". I'm guessing that you have 'frost proof' hose bibs, sometimes the rubber washer will start to fail (not enough that it won't shut of) and little chunks of it will clog the seal.

If at all possible, you can replace these with a ball type valve. Just watch the winter months for freezing.

Bill

[Turboclam]

We just replaced the pressure regulator in our 12 year old house and it brought back some nice pressure. Feels like it easily doubled. Might be worth looking at it.

[ken tuep]

Replace the outside hose shut off, I did mine and the pressure was back to normal. $30 from Lowes and 1 hour of work doubled my pressure. I had to sweat a new copper threaded coupler onto my existing pipe.

If you're not comfortable sweating the pipe the make some Gatorade bites that push lock on the pipes.

If you have cpvc pipes, buy primer and glue then have at it. You might even already have a threaded end to just unscrew the old and replace with a new one.

A certified plumber will probably cost you about $200 to replace it.

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[grambow]

Thanks for all of the helpful replies! The AG board is always a great resource! I am going to look for a screw on the shutoff, time the flow rate, and look into replacing the bib. Imagine the torture of being a detailer, buying a new house with a perfect detailing driveway, and not having enough pressure to wash your car! UGH!

I will keep you all posted on what I find.