How to Increase Water Pressure in Your Home Without Calling a Professional

If the water pressure in your home is too low, it can affect many things you use every day, such as not having enough water to water your garden, or the shower pressure is too low to clean your bath, the water entering your washing machine is too slow. If these sound familiar, you're probably looking for ways to increase your water pressure .

 

Here's how to increase water pressure in your home without damaging pipes, fixtures, and appliances .

How to check water pressure and flow

To get an accurate idea of the water pressure in your home, you should purchase a water pressure gauge that you can screw onto your faucet. Once it's securely attached to your faucet, turn on the water and the gauge will display the pressure in psi (pounds per square inch).

'Normal' water pressure can vary, but anything between 40 and 60 psi is adequate. If your water pressure is below 40 psi, you are correct in assuming that your home's water pressure is too low.

 

To measure water flow, there is a simple test that can be easily performed with readily available materials. Here is how to do it:

1. Place some containers outside. These can be 20l buckets, empty jugs, cardboard boxes or other similar containers. However, it is important to know exactly how many litres of water each container holds.
2. Open the stopwatch app on your phone. It will be used to time the water flow.
3. Turn on the faucet. Turn the faucet on fully, start the timer, and fill the containers with water.
4. Fill with water for one minute. After one minute, stop filling and measure the number of liters of water in the containers.
5. Calculate your water flow. Flow is measured in GPM (gallons per minute), so the number of gallons filled in one minute is your water flow.

Note:

Before checking the water flow, turn off any appliances or faucets and other fixtures that may affect the flow.

Check main water valve

Often, the cause of low water pressure in your home is a partially closed valve. Check the main water valve to make sure it is fully open before performing the other tasks on this checklist. Depending on your home, it may have both an interior main valve and a street valve, although you may not have access to the street valve.

Tip: If your water pressure drops at only one faucet or appliance, check the valves controlling those specific water supply lines.

 

Check for leaks and blockages

Even a small leak in a water supply line can significantly affect water pressure. Although less common, a blockage in a water supply line will significantly reduce water flow. If your plumbing has not been recently installed, a blockage may not be the cause. Conversely, if your plumbing is not too old, you may not have a clogged water supply line.

Clean the aerator and filter

If the water pressure problem is limited to one appliance or fixture, there is likely a localized blockage that needs to be cleared. Check all aerators, strainers or filters to ensure there is no dirt or other debris causing the blockage.

Adjust the pressure reducing valve

If you still can't get the water pressure up in your home, you can adjust the pressure reducing valve (PRV), assuming it's not fully open. The water pressure from the water company can be very high, so the PRV is installed to limit the pressure. You can turn a knob or bolt on the PRV to increase or decrease the pressure as desired.

Although rare, your home's water pressure regulator may be faulty and require the installation of a PRV. If you notice no change in water pressure when adjusting the PRV, you should contact a plumber.

Warning: Pressure reducing valves play an important role in protecting pipes, faucets and appliances from excessive water pressure, so be careful when adjusting them.

Water Booster Installation

If all else fails, you may need to call a plumber to install a water pressure booster. This device consists of a pump and a pressure tank to regulate the water pressure in your home.