Water Pressure – Need More Punch?
It can be quite annoying when you’re trying to take a bath and boom… no water or the water pressure isn’t enough to get the water to you. You’re bath will surely be less enjoyable and even washing the dishes can start getting to you. Yes, water pressure failure can really be such an irritating problem. But that doesn’t mean that you’ll just have to live with it. There are some things that can be done to improve pressure. This article will give you a few ideas on how to get more pressure than you’ve had before.
In the urban areas, we get our water from the municipal water companies. The main lines they have underground actually carries a lot of pressure but because of friction, the pressure is lost somewhere between the main lines and your home. It loses more pressure as well between where it got into your home and the faucet that the water is going to come out of. Basically, if the space for the water to move through is small, there will be more friction. If you somehow notice that the pressure from your kitchen faucet isn’t strong then there is most likely some friction somewhere between your faucet and the main lines.
Usually, the friction is caused by having pipes that are too small. If you have a pipe that is ½ inch in diameter, you can bet that you’ll have friction. Having them replaced with a pipe that is ¾ inch in diameter will give you noticeable increase in pressure. You can opt not to change the whole line but just the ones that are easily accessible. You will still see a difference. If you’re building a new house, have the pipes upgraded from a ½ to a ¾ and it won’t really cost much too. This way, you will be saving yourself a lot of hassles in the future.
Another reason for losing water pressure is having something blocking the water’s path along the pipes. It is possible that these are mineral deposits that have accumulated overtime and what happens is, the start to reduce the pipe’s diameter where the water flows and which in turn produces friction. Mineral buildups that can affect the water’s flow are usually large enough to be seen. Try checking a section of the pipes where the water pressure is low and you just might find the problem. Chemicals can be used to break them down and flush them out. Just make sure you follow the safety guidelines when using the chemicals. If you used to have strong pressure and then all of a sudden, you lose it, your problem could be outside of your house. Try calling the water company to have the pipes checked to see if the problem is indeed coming from the main lines.
Some people prefer using water from wells instead of getting from the water companies. It can actually save some money. They usually have a water pressure tank to achieve the desired water pressure for their homes. But aside from having pipe problems like most of us do, the pressure tank can have problems of its own as well. It can either be too small to provide enough pressure for the house or it can even leak, thereby losing pressure. If you use a pressure tank, start checking there when you lose water pressure.