Water Pressure Problems
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Water Pressure Problems
Dec 2008
We have low hot water pressure on
every spigot in the house. The cold water is fine, and actually
really incredible pressure, but the hot water is running at about a
quarter the amount of the cold. Does anyone have any ideas or
recommendations on what might be the problem or solution? Our
house is quite old 1925ish. I feel like it is somewhere at the
source (maybe the main pipe coming into our house?)? Thank you.
Kathie
You have good cold water pressure, but low hot water pressure?
Sounds like three possibilities
1) Your hot water pipes have internal deposits & corrosion which
are plugging up the flow. (Think atherosclerosis). Hot water
pipes are more likely to show this because crystals & corrosion
form when the hot water cools in the pipe. Steel pipes
(installed before the 1950's) are more likely to show this than
copper or plastic.
2) Your hot water heater (and associated valves) is on its last
legs. Usually this shows up first as reduced amount of hot water
available, then you hear popping noises in the tank as it heats
(caused by deposits building up inside of the tank), and finally
you notice a leak.
3) The hot water piping has been run in a longer path than the
cold water pipes. This is likely because the hot water heater
was added years after the house was built (in Berkeley, hot water
heaters weren't common until after the 1920's). So the cold
water pipes may go directly to your bathroom, but the hot water
pipes take a circuitous path to the heater and then to the
bathroom.
In case 1 or 3, you should contact a good plumber to tear out
the old piples and replace them with copper (or perhaps PEX
plastic pipes). This is non-trivial work; expect to pay several
thousand dollars. And, like hiring a urologist, you're trusting
a technician to work on things that you can't see, but certainly
will feel in the years to come. Look for an intelligent,
diligent plumber.
Where to find a good plumber? Go visit a plumbing supply store
(for example, Moran Supply on 40th St. or Rubinstein on San
Pablo). Ask the counterman for his recommendations of plumbers
(he knows the idiots and the competent guys - they deal with 'em
daily)
C.S.
On your water pipe question, I understand that rust builds up
on the inside of galvanized pipes much quicker on hot water
pipes than cold water pipes, so it could just be that rust
buildup has reduced the diameter of your hot water pipes. Don't know if there is any
solution other than to replace the
pipes. On your foundation work question, try Paul Carty of
Carty Construction out of Kensington. We've used them on
drainage and seismic work.
dr
Oct 2007
We are unsatisfied with the water pressure in our home
(particularly in the shower) and have had a difficult time
finding someone truly knowledgeable about the subject, who can
tell us what to do to increase the pressure. Of course, we
would like to avoid having to experiment with different possible
measures at great expense only to find no improvement. Can
anyone make a recommendation?
Thanks. MC
Perhaps your problem is not water pressure, but flow rate. If you
live in an older home most likely your pipes are either too small
a diameter, or are galvanized and are clogging. You can purchase
from a hardware store a pressure gauge that you can put on a hose
bib (try to find one at the end of the line)and check your water
pressure. Pressure will be somewhere around 50-70 psi. EBMUD
should know. BArring any full clog in a pipe the pressure will
come up to street pressure if all flow is off. Open a faucet and
see how much the pressure drops. If little drop perhaps it is
just a clogged shower head or faucet.
Good luck
Tim
We recently fixed this problem in our home. We were very fortunate in that it simply
required the adjustment of some regulator valve under the house. I think any good
plumber will know what you are talking about if you ask. It is a thing that regulates
the flow of water from the main into the house. The landlord lived here for 7 years
and
always took her showers at her gym it was so bad. I had planned on doing the same
until my husband tweaked this valve. Water flows twice as fast as it did when we
moved in. If you cannot find a plumber who understands what you are talking about,
feel free to email me.
the_missus
2002
The water pressure in
our house has always been problematic and I was
wondering what folks think the problem might be as
well as the solution (including what type of repair
person/company would be able to fix it). It seems like
the worst pressure is in our shower. It seems
relatively OK in our daughter's bath/shower and
elsewhere. It also takes a really long time for the
water to get hot in our bathroom. We got a new water
heater just about 2 years ago or so in case that
matters. Thanks for your advice. Lori
We live in an old
house (1906) on the second story and our water
pressure is also pretty bad; the hot water comes from
the basement. I can't give you any true advice because
I've always assumed that our problem is ancient pipes
and replacing them has never been very near the top of
our list. However, we have come up with a wonderful,
cheap, quick fix for our shower.
http://www.cottonswow.com/greatforhanh1.html
If you
search the site for 'greater force' you'll see the
different options. I would think that you could find
this product locally but this is the company I got
ours from. We love this shower head. I could go on and
on---how it has transformed our lives, etc. but then
I'd have to submit anonymously. :-) Sally
You didn't mention if you had a 1 or 2 story home (and
if the water heater is in the basement, this compounds
the problem even more). One solution for a 2-story
home is an on-demand water heater in the bathroom or
near it. This is also a very energy- efficient
solution that also prevents those cold bursts when
someone turns on the water in the kitchen. -wife of a
contractor
I hope this advice
will be helpful: If the water in your bath takes a
while to heat up, it's usually because the water must
travel a great distance from the heater to the bath.
Check and see if other sinks or baths closer to the
water heater don't heat up faster than your bath. As
for water pressure, pressure is reduced the farther it
must travel from the source. If the problem is just in
your bath, you may consider increasing the size of the
water lines leading to your bath; however, this is
costly. If the problem is with your entire house, a
pressure reading can be taken from the spigot using a
water pressure gauge. Depending on your findings, you
can boost that pressure however necessary using a
device that mounts to your main water supply line.
Good Luck. Sincerely, Eric
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