Why do I have low water pressure in my home?

The inconvenience and frustration that comes from little to no water pressure can be incredibly disruptive to your household. Whether your shower isn't providing good pressure or your kitchen taps are a little slow in water pressure, there is likely an underlying issue that needs addressing. If you feel or have noticed a drop in your water pressure, it is best to get a local plumber out sooner rather than later. This is to ensure that your problem doesn't persist or inevitably get worse, and possibly cause further damage.

Things to check when you have low water pressure in your home

Prior to giving a plumber call to help you out, there are a number of different things you can do to assist in identifying the severity of your water pressure problem. This information can help when speaking to a professional about the water pressure in your home, which can mean a speedier fix and less disruption to you and your family. So, what should you look at?

Which taps and/or showers have low water pressure?

You will need to check every tap and shower in your home for this one. All you are doing is to check if all of them share the same water pressure issue. If only one is experiencing low or no water pressure, then this could indicate that there is a blockage somewhere in the line. However, if all of your taps and showers are experiencing low to no water pressure it could be something more serious.

The Bucket Test

One easy way to work out whether the low water pressure is coming from your home or outside your home is by doing a Bucket Test.

• Go to your water meter and ensure that it is fully opened
• Get a bucket - 9 to 10 litres in capacity is preferred
• Find the tap that is closest to your water meter and fill up your bucket from that tap
  • If filled within thirty seconds, then this shows it is a problem inside your property boundary and therefore a plumber will be able to help with your problem.
  • If not filled within thirty seconds, this means that it is an issue with the water source outside of your property boundary and you should contact Sydney Water or your water supplier.

Check for local water outages

Sometimes local councils will carry out work on the main water supply to your area. You will generally be notified of routine or planned works anywhere from a week to a month prior to its commencement. With emergency works, however, there normally isn't any warning. To rule out if it is planned or emergency works, you can ring or check the Sydney Water Website for updates.

Water leaks

To check to see if you have a water leak, you must first check your water meter. Write down the numbers that are displayed on the water meter and then check it again in 2 hour intervals. In this time, avoid using any water sources in the home as that will alter the results.

At the end of the test, if the numbers have gone up and you haven't used any water then this is a pretty clear indicator that you do indeed have a leak! 

Your local low water pressure experts

If you would like to know a little more about low water pressure, or you are still finding yourself with low water pressure after conducting the tests above then, our team would be more than happy to help. We can help you with professional leak detection right through to the unblocking of a stubborn drain. If you have a pressure problem we have the solution. Contact our team today on 0407 837 729 or complete an online job booking form and see how we can help you. 

Resources :

Sydney Water (Water Supply & Service Updates): https://www.sydneywater.com.au/SW/water-the-environment/how-we-manage-sydney-s-water/water-supply-service-updates/index.htm

Sydney Water (Testing Your Water Pressure): https://www.sydneywater.com.au/web/groups/publicwebcontent/documents/document/zgrf/mdgw/~edisp/dd_080909.pdf

Sydney Water (Water Pressure Monitoring):  https://www.sydneywater.com.au/SW/water-the-environment/what-we-re-doing/current-projects/maintaining-our-water-supply/water-pressure-monitoring/index.htm