How To Decrease Water Pressure In House

My neighbor Pat recently discovered his house had high water force per unit area. Why is this such an issue?

While you may similar stiff showers in the morning your house's internal plumbing doesn't. Water pressure over 80 psi (pounds per foursquare inch) tin can cause all sorts of issues only the master i is water leaks.

Unfortunately I've been the victim of 3 pinhole leaks at our business firm on 3 split occasions. My married woman and I took a red eye flying dorsum from Seattle to notice the first leak caused a 4 foot by 4 foot department of kitchen ceiling to collapse. Don't get me wrong, I know the copper pipes are a big culprit merely when your water pressure is 90 psi it doesn't help.

I've also had the bad luck of having h2o leaks at clothes washers, faucets, toilets, bathtubs, outside hose bibs, you proper name it. Trust me, with my own house and having to field calls from tenants at our rental homes I've learned how to avoid expensive h2o issues.

Today I'm going to share 3 tips that will help yous ameliorate your dwelling house's water pressure, reduce the likelihood of costly water bills, and help you sleep better knowing you lot won't wake upward to a pool on your kitchen's floor.

Preventing h2o leaks that ruin your ceiling, walls, and floors is easier than your retrieve. And you lot can follow through on my tips in the evening or over the weekend. And then let's get started!

Exam Your H2o Pressure level Regularly (Just Like Your Claret Pressure)

Building codes state water force per unit area shouldn't exceed 80 psi and Pat's was reading a little over 90 psi (simply like mine).

The solution to his trouble was replacing his existing h2o force per unit area regulator. The picture to a higher place is of my h2o pressure regulator.

H2o force per unit area regulators should be installed past a licensed contractor who follows the local building code specifications. Pat chosen our local plumbing hero Matt Mertz who has washed this type of repair god knows how many times.

Almost water pressure regulators are factory preset at 50 psi and even though our plumber is super crawly he forgot to tell Pat almost this (oops). The kickoff fourth dimension you take a shower with water pressure at most l psi you'll notice the water flow is pretty darn low.

The good news is that h2o pressure regulators can be adjusted and you don't demand to call your plumber to do this.

Scout this video to see how Pat tested and adjusted his h2o pressure downwardly from seventy psi to 60 psi. He initially adjusted it too high and this video shows how to adapt the water pressure to a lower setting.

If you suspect your water pressure level is too loftier make sure you examination it with a water pressure guess ($10 at Domicile Depot or Lowes).

Test your water pressure to make sure it's not too high

Get a licensed contractor to install a water pressure regulator if you don't already accept one. Pat's toll roughly $130. This is a much cheaper choice than having a copper pipe burst, your ceiling is ruined, and the floor beneath be buckling. Trust me, a ceiling alone can be several hundred dollars to fix.

If you lot already have a water pressure regulator and would like to meet if it still works properly follow the steps Pat took in our video. I'll recap this hither with some pictures, too.

Commencement, shut off the water at your house's internal water chief. Turn the shut-off valve completely to the correct.

Loosen the locking nut on the water force per unit area regulator by turning information technology to the left.

Loosen the locking nut on the water pressure regulator

Plough the adjusting screw to the left to reduce the water pressure or to the right to increase the water pressure.

To increase or decrease the water pressure turn the adjusting screw

Tighten the locking nut and retest your water pressure level at the laundry tub or any hose bib to see if the pressure went upwards or downwardly.

Having a good h2o pressure regulator is one large step in the right management when trying to prevent your water pipes and appliances from wearing out over time.

Use Quarter Plow Brawl (Shutoff) Valves

Any time I buy a new rental home the first matter I do, besides buying utility line insurance, is replacing all the h2o supply lines that connect the water supply to a faucet, toilet, or washing auto.

You'll typically meet evidence of mineral buildup on old supply lines that need to be replaced.

My mother-in-law just bought a townhouse and got a letter from the water company stating she had high water consumption. Even though we knew this was due to watering new landscaping I checked underneath all her vanities to meet if there were leaks.

There wasn't whatsoever water damage only you can tell I should be a good son and supersede her old copper tube supply lines with the steel braided diverseness which are much stronger and dependable.

Inspect your faucet, toilet, and washer water supply lines for signs of corrosion

Here's the side by sideHUGE cost-saving tip: supervene upon every old shutoff valve with a make new quarter-turn ball valve.

I again practice this in every single rental habitation nosotros own. The former shutoff valves typically don't work at all and this is a big problem when someone'south toilet is overflowing at midnight. So I avoid this scenario altogether and install quarter-turn ball valves.

This type of valve can be found at every hardware shop and are great considering they don't have whatever safe seals that break down over time. And with the invention of SharkBite fittings, you can install these shutoff valves yourself.

Replace old water supply shutoff valves with quarter turn ball valves

A prior blog mail service of mine discusses how to use SharkBite fittings. They are AWESOME!!

Use Steel Braided Water Supply Lines

I utilize steel braided supply lines on bathroom & kitchen faucets …

Toilets …

And finally, dress washing machines.

Use steel braided water supply lines to prevent washing machine water leaks

Fluidmaster makes Click Seal water supply lines that don't require tools at the toilet or faucet side connectedness. They make a click when tight plenty and make swapping supply lines super easy.

Summary Points for Plumbing Heaven

And so here are the summary points you demand to remember:

Use a water pressure gauge to test your house'due south h2o pressure
If your pressure is too high take a licensed contractor install a water pressure level regulator
Adjust the water pressure on your existing water pressure so it's betwixt 55-75 psi
Supercede old tube water supply lines to bathroom & kitchen faucets with steel braided supply lines
Replace clothes washer rubber supply lines with the steel braided variety
Finally, utilize quarter plow ball valves when replacing onetime shutoff valves that don't piece of work (You lot'll thank me when your toilet clogs at midnight!)

Hither's a listing of the supplies in case yous're interested

H2o Pressure level Gauge
Water Pressure Regulator (Get correct size)
Vanity Steel Braided Supply Lines (Choose right size and length)
Apparel Washer Steel Braided Supply Lines (Choose correct size and length)
Toilet Steel Braided Supply Line (Cull correct size and length)
SharkBite Quarter Turn Brawl Valves (Choose correct size and position)
Pinch Quarter Turn Ball Valve (Cull correct size and position)
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