When you turn on the tap, do your faucets struggle to produce more than a trickle? Are your toilets and appliances suddenly taking forever to fill up? The symptoms of low water pressure are often frustrating and hard to ignore, but what might be causing these problems?
Issues With Your Water Supply
In some cases, the cause of low water pressure may not lie inside your home at all. If you’re connected to a municipal water supply, contact your local utility to see if they know of any system-related troubles. In addition, locate your main shutoff valve and make sure it’s fully open. If you have a well, the culprit may be your well pump instead. If the pump isn’t running, check the circuit breaker and reset any tripped circuits. If the breaker trips again, or if this doesn’t resolve the situation, it’s time to contact a professional.
Bad Water Pressure Regulator
While residential plumbing systems are designed for water pressures around 40 to 50 psi, most municipal water supplies have much higher pressures. Most homes are often equipped with a pressure regulator to address this. This fitting, usually located near the main shutoff valve, controls the water pressure entering your plumbing. However, if the device malfunctions or is set improperly, it may lower the pressure too much. A bad regulator may also cause the pressure to rapidly fluctuate.
Hidden Leaks or Hard Water Clogs
A burst pipe is hard to miss, but many plumbing leaks are far less obvious and more difficult to spot. Nonetheless, even small leaks can reduce water pressure. In fact, low pressure is a key sign that you may need leak detection services. Another common factor in West Texas is hard water deposits, which reduce water pressure by clogging up drains, pipes, fixtures, and appliances.
If you’re dealing with low water pressure in your home, play it safe and call West Texas Plumbing today. Whatever the cause, we’re available 24/7 to provide emergency repairs and other professional plumbing services throughout the Permian Basin.
