Pressure too low in parts of the home

jwwing · Feb 17, 2017

My house was built in 2005 and we moved in April 2006. The water pressure outside was about 100 psi which was too high for the hoses so I asked to have it reduced. They installed a regulator and adjusted it to 75 psi (minimum it will do). I checked the pressure but it was too low and inside the house would hardly run. So I went to the regulator and ended up adjusting it to the max to get things ot even work. At least the outside was ok at the new pressure (the max setting is 100 psi, but it is nowhere near that).

Now the pressure and volume at the outside bibs is ok, but inside it is not.

We have a big separate tub with circulation pump that fills fine. It acts like it has a 1" pipe on both hot and cold, but at the opposite end of it is a shower with such an anemic flow that it won't operate a pulsing shower head. I can live with that, but it is sad. There must be a restriction device on there - where do I look and what am I looking for? I can't find it.

But the main problem is the kitchen sink. Before they reduced the pressure, we had reasonable pressure at the sink faucet and decent flow rate, but now it is too low. I have searched and cannot find any restrictions (eg, washers with 1/8" hole).

Please tell me what should I look for and where will it be located?

Thanks!

tanksnotanks · Feb 17, 2017

Have you checked aerators or screens

jwwing · Feb 18, 2017

@tanksnotanks: Yeah, did that - and checked that the faucets were open. You missed that LOL.

The problem is local to the kitchen faucet that has a handheld sprayer, the second bath which has a handheld sprayer operated from the spigot and the master bath shower which has a handheld shower head operated directly from the valve.

The water coming out of the spigot on the second bath is fine, the water coming to the dishwasher appears to be ok (harder to tell) and the water to the power tub in the master is ok - works like a 1" pipe was used. The sinks and toilets all seem to have good pressure. But the showers both are weak and won't even operate a pulsing hand sprayer. The sprayers (kitchen, master and 2nd bath all have spray that is hardly enough to reach 2' away when held upright (90 degrees). That is why I wondered if there is any other way that the volume to the sprayers is limited or adjusted.

They worked fine before the pressure was reduced with the regulator. After I cranked the regulator near to its maximum, I was able to get usable pressure without blowing my outdoor hoses. But the pressure is still too low on the sprayers mentioned.

tanksnotanks · Feb 18, 2017

With the handhelds removed how is the pressure out of the hose

jwwing · Feb 20, 2017

No better. I went clear down to the shutoffs in the kitchen, to the control in the master bath (but I really don't know what to look for) and to the upper end of the hose in the second bath. (But I had added that hose sprayer - it came with a standard spray head). I could find nothing that would restrict flow - but like I said, other than a washer with a small hole, I don't know what to look for.