Low water pressure

[jason3]

Have a question about my gfs house. She has an apartment upstairs with separate washer dryer. Whenever upstairs or she runs a wash the water pressure drops way way down. They never run at same time. Anything I should look for?

 

[frodo]

short of repiping with correct size pipe no,


edit... is the piping accessible ?

 

[jason3]

I meant to say water pressure in the sinks and shower. But I'm not sure about pipes. Which ones? For washer?

 

[ThePlumbSite]

Hi,

Your incoming water pressure to your apartment should be 1.5 bar as a standard requirement from the water board. To check you have this pressure at a outlet you can buy a water pressure test gauge kit (rothenberger) for £7.00. If its below 1.5 bar contact your local water authority. Assuming the plumbing services are plumbed correctly and not undersized the incoming water pressure would be the issue. Moderator note: No links in posts, please

 

[frodo]

Hi,

Your incoming water pressure to your apartment should be 1.5 bar as a standard requirement from the water board. To check you have this pressure at a outlet you can buy a water pressure test gauge kit (rothenberger) for £7.00. If its below 1.5 bar contact your local water authority. Assuming the plumbing services are plumbed correctly and not undersized the incoming water pressure would be the issue. if you need any assistance locating a pressure test gauge visit www.theplumbsite.co.uk

“Too Little Water Pressure” is Really Too Little Volume
A frequent complaint plumbers hear is, “The water pressure is too low. I can’t rinse the shampoo out of my hair. I can’t wash the soap off my dishes. There just isn’t enough pressure.” Well, the amount of pressure in a home is controlled either by the setting of the well pump or by the*municipality*where the building is located. It is very rare that the pressure is lower than what it is supposed to be, which is between 40 and 50 psi. More often it’s actually higher, which can cause all sorts of other problems. In reality, when people complain to plumbers about low water pressure, what their most often experiencing is low volume.

What is Water Pressure?
Pressure is the force behind the water in the pipes. It’s what lifts the water from where it comes into your building up to the top floor and out the faucet. While pressure can make the water flow faster through the pipes, it can not put more water into the pipes. It can try. In buildings where there is too much pressure plumbing pipes, fixtures and appliances wear out faster and experience a much higher incidence of catastrophic failure. But pressure is not going to give you what you need to rinse your hair or your dishes, which is more water.

Volume
Volume is the amount of water traveling through a pipe or coming out a fixture. It is regulated by the size of the pipe and by the head of the fixture.
The pipes that carry water throughout a building range in size from a 1/4″ to a foot or more. The larger the pipe, the greater the volume of water it can deliver to the building’s fixtures.
The head on the fixture is actually the more important of the two. You could run a five inch pipe to a shower head, and you’d still get the same amount of water out. That’s because, since 1992, the amount of water used by fixtures in the United States has been federally regulated.
On faucets, the aerator regulates the volume. For kitchen sinks and older bathroom sinks, the flow rate is restricted to 2.2 gpm. Newer ultra-low bathroom faucets have flow rates that can be as low as 1.5 to 0.5 gpm.
Before 1992, some shower heads had flow rates as high as 5.5 gpm. Today, most showerheads come with flow rates at or below 2.5 gpm.

What’s the solution?
If you have new fixtures and really want more volume… you’re out of luck. As we said, the amount of water that comes out of your plumbing fixtures is federally regulated. There is nothing a plumber can do to make more water come out of your fixtures.
If, however, your fixtures are older than a year or so, take a closer look: are they clogged?
Your water may be clear, but unless you’re treating it after it enters your home, it’s far from pure. Mineral deposits, dissolved solids and other stuff are in every drop. Over time, solids accumulate*on fixtures and restrict the flow. If your fixtures are clogged with sediment, replacing them is relatively cheap and can add new*vibrance*to old rooms.