Low water pressure in your house can be a real nuisance, especially when your shower pressure is low. Get to know the main reasons why low water pressure occurs, plus how to fix it with the help of our Taskers.
What is water pressure?
Water pressure relates to the strength of water flow running through the pipes and into your home. It is a measure of force called bars, where one bar equals the force needed to push water up to 10 metres high.
How to test water pressure
To diagnose whether you have low water pressure, start by making sure all running water in your house is turned off.
Place a 1-2 litre jug underneath a tap and run it for 6 seconds (you can use a timer on your phone for this). Once the 6 seconds is up, check how much water is in the jug and times that number by 10. For example, if you have 0.7 litres of water in the jug you would x that by 10 to get 7. This tells you the flow rate in litres per minute.
Anything less than 10 litres per minute is considered low water pressure and will need to be fixed.
Reasons for low water pressure
- Clogged water pipes
Pipes can get a build up of rust, debris and limescale, which can cause the water flow to be blocked and lead to low water pressure.
- Obstructed stopcock valve
There might be air locked in your stop tap (AKA stopcock valve), or it might be partially closed.
- Leaking pipes
An internal pipe might be leaking or have burst, which will cause a drop in water pressure.
- Damaged fixtures
Do you have a toilet that is running continuously, or a build up of limescale on your shower head? These types of issues affect water pressure.
- Neighbours doing works
If you share a mains water supply with other houses on your street, it’s always worth checking if your neighbours are carrying out any works or if there’s been an issue reported by your service provider.
How to fix low water pressure
Now we’ve established the possible reasons for your low water pressure, let’s dive into the low water pressure solutions.
- Clogged water pipes
If you have low hot water pressure or the water pressure is lower in certain areas, eg. in the shower but not the kitchen, this could be due to limescale build up.
Try installing a scale inhibitor to reduce buildup from hard water. They can either be fitted on the main pipe coming into your home, or to an internal cold water pipe linked to a single appliance, such as the shower. They range from around £30-£50 and are available in most DIY stores.
Need help fitting a scale inhibitor? Hire an experienced Tasker today.
- Obstructed stopcock valve
Another common solution for fixing low water pressure is checking your stopcock valve and main water valve. The stopcock valve will be inside your home, usually next to a main water pipe, and your main water valve will be outside the house.
Both valves should be fully open, so locate each one (starting with your stopcock) and open them if needed.
- Leaking pipes
A leaking or burst pipe could be causing your low water pressure. You can check whether you have a damaged pipe by turning off your main water valve, which can usually be found outside your house.
Take a note of the water meter once you’ve turned the valve off, then leave it turned off for around 2 hours. Take a second meter reading and if this is higher than the last, you likely have a leak.
Call in a Tasker to help find the source of the leak and fix the issue.
- Damaged fixtures
Low water pressure can sometimes be caused by appliances in your home not working as they should be. Firstly, check all your taps and shower heads for any limescale buildup, as this can affect the water flow.
You can remove limescale with vinegar, lemon juice or cleaning products like Cillit Bang. If you are using vinegar or lemon, soak a cloth and cover your tap or shower head, using an elastic band to keep it in place. Remove after 2 hours and wipe away any excess.
If you have a dripping tap or your toilet is running constantly, call in a Tasker to help fix the problem.
We hope our guide for how to fix low water pressure has been helpful. Hire a Tasker near you to get your water pressure firing on all cylinders again.
