Water Pressure Increase?

Probably an often asked question, but my house is on public water and the pressure is very poor. There is a noticeable drop when more than one faucet is on, however it's still useable. This is a nuisance and I was wondering what I can do to fix this. Specifically I need to fix the supply to the shower, which is driving me insane. Somebody recommended I upgrade these pipes to a larger diameter wherever they are visible. Will this work even though there will still be "bottlenecks"?

Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

Reply to
Jennk
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No, it probably won't help at all. It takes a lot of detective work to solve problems like this one: What is pressure right at the Main? Does that pressure drop much when you (or neighbor) uses water? Do neighbors all have similar problems? What is the service line material? If old galv iron, that may be a big part of the problem. What does the utility say? Often they can assist in pinpointing the problem and possible solutions.

If there is simply not enough pressure/flow at the Main, a booster pump and storage tank may be needed$$$ And you may need the permission of the utility.

Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

How old is the house? There made be an adjustment diaphram where the water comes into the house. Turn it clockwise to increase pressure.

Reply to
Art

Also if you have plastic pipes, I've seen sloppy plumbers get clumps of glue in the pipes and they hang ups at the water turn offs before the faucets. You really need to have a smart plumber look at it.

Reply to
Art

check with your neighbours and see if they also have or have had poor pressure, and how did they fix it. I suspect that the main line coming into the house may need to be replaced with a larger pipe. this is something you will call your local City hall and they will provide the service to get the line replaced coming into the house. You will have to pay for the portion on your property and the City should pay from your property line to the main connection. At least that's the way it works where I live. The larger pipe will have a larger volume of water travelling through it. The pressure is not any greater but the volume of water increase really can make a big difference in the volume of water coming through the pipes, but it is not a guaranteed fix to boost pressure. This is a very common procedure on old homes probably more than 40 years old. good luck. been there done that.

Reply to
Gustov

My father used CPVC in the hosue he built in 1970, no leaks or corosion since. Also used PVC in the ground for potable water between buildings and irrigation water on teh farm, never leaked or had any problems in 30 years since.

I still see many home shows that show copper being the choice for potable water supply. However depending on the type of water from the source can cause problems. My grandfathers house which was on a well and had copper plumbing had a high build up of copper sulfate, very poisonous and over time made him real sick. We tore out all the copper and replaced with CPVC and his health improved a lot.

Since I have always used only CPVC/PVC plumbing and have not had many real issues withit.

As easy as is to install and not that expsensive, why is it not as popular for potable water supply ?

Reply to
MC

As others have said, you need more information and some detective work. Before anything else, find out what your actual pressure at the meter and then at the house entry point is. A cheap pressure gauge will check the house pressue. If the pressure is o.k. (I would want at leat 40 psi, preferably 50 or 60) at the entry point, the next thing is 'what is the flow when under use?'

The point is to eliminate possibly (probably if it is an old house with iron pipes) corroded/plugges piping.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

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