How to Increase Bathroom Water Pressure
You have just bought a house that has not been lived in for many years. The plumbing is very old and you need to increase the water pressure so you can get better flow from the showers, sinks, & commodes. There are no leaks or signs of corrosion anywhere.
You would like to avoid tearing apart walls if possible because this might cause other problems in your home. Water is a valuable resource for today’s world. Incorrect use can lead to major problems with the plumbing system and structure of your home.
So, can you increase water pressure in the bathroom without demolition? Water pressure can decrease or remain the same depending on how many appliances are being used at once. On top of that, older homes may have lower water pressure due to the amount of buildup in the pipes. If you are having trouble with low water pressure in your home, there are a few options for increasing it yourself.
Keep reading to learn more!
What is Water Pressure?
There are two types of water pressure – high and low. When a faucet is opened, water pressure will push out from the pipe away from the center of the pipe.
The distance that this force goes can be changed by adjusting something called a regulator valve. This adjusts how much water pressure you get at the tap every time it’s turned on.
Water Pressure Warning Signs
When water pressure is too high, it can cause damage to the home. If there are any warning signs that you should be aware of, then contact a professional plumber right away before any real damage occurs.
Too Much Water Usage
If your water usage has increased beyond what you would normally expect in your home, then this would be an early warning sign that you might need to change your water regulator valve.
If the increased usage is only temporary (just because several people are taking long showers or baths at once), it’s probably not necessary to change out the whole regulator valve unit.
Leaking Pipes
If you are seeing any wet spots around your pipes or flooring, this is an early warning sign of water pressure problems.
Wet spots can be caused by other factors as well, but if they happen to appear where the water pressure should be the lowest (like around sink fittings), then they are most likely due to increased water pressure.
If you see any wet spots, call a plumber immediately before the problem worsens.
Spraying Water Fittings
If your showerhead begins to spray water in random patterns that weren’t there before, or if your faucets start spontaneously spraying water out of them, then this is another early warning sign that you have pressure problems. You should immediately contact a plumber to solve the problem before it worsens.
Decreasing Water Pressure
Low water pressure can be just as problematic as high water pressure. Visit your home’s faucet and check the force of the flowing water.
If you notice that the water coming out of your faucet is weaker than normal, then you need to adjust the regulator valve. If it does not get better after adjusting the regulator valve, call a plumber immediately before any damage occurs.
How Does Water Pressure Affect Your Home?
When there are pressure problems in your home’s plumbing system, you can be sure that it will cause some wear and tear to your home. Not only are you wasting water, but low water pressure can lead to many problems with your plumbing system’s fixtures as well.
Reduced Water Flow
When there is not enough water pressure in the pipes of your home, then water flow is reduced. Not only does this wastewater, but it can cause problems with the flow of water for certain fixtures in your home (such as toilets and washing machines). If you notice any issues with these fixtures’ performance, contact a plumber right away.
Freezing Pipes
If your water pipes are exposed or located somewhere that is prone to freezing temperatures, then reduced water pressure could cause them to freeze. If you suspect that your pipes are frozen because of reduced water flow, contact a plumber immediately before the problem gets any worse.
Leaky Faucets
Reduced water pressure can be very problematic for faucets in your home because it causes them to leak around their fittings. You should contact a plumber immediately to solve the problem before it spreads and gets any worse.
Clogged Drains
When water flow is reduced, then drain lines can become clogged much easier than normal. The reduced amount of water flow in your home’s pipes means that there will be less water going through your drains.
This can cause them to clog over time. Therefore, if you notice that the flow in any of your home’s drains is slower than usual, contact a plumber right away.
How To Check/Correct Water Pressure
Plenty of people have a pretty good idea that an old house will not have the same modern-day conveniences, but you might be surprised at just how many systems are shared with other homes in an area or connected to other nearby structures.
This makes it necessary to disconnect and reconnect all of the connections in your home. Follow these steps:
- Turn off the water supply to your entire house. You can find a shut-off valve under the sink or toilet, near the exterior water spigot, or at the mainline coming into your home under your front porch if you have one.
- Drain the plumbing system by opening each fixture in your home(toilets, sinks, shower). Once the lines are drained turn the main water supply back on to your home. This should stop any residual flow that is left in the system.
- If you do not have access to the mainline under your front porch, you will need to shut off the water at the street which is usually an easy process with your local municipality.
- Once all of the lines are drained, open up each fixture and clear out any debris that might be clogging the lines. You can use a plunger or old pipe cleaner that has been run through each section.
- Once the lines are clear, turn your main water supply back on from the street or the house.
- Now that you have turned your water supplies back on, you can flush out any debris that may be present in your home by running a few loads of laundry and flushing a couple of toilets. You will notice a decrease in the water pressure as the lines fill up with air and debris, but this should clear up after a few loads of laundry or flushes.
If you need to increase your water pressure to tub or shower faucets, use a device called a pressure reducer. This will transfer the excess flow from the main water source and decrease it to accomplish what you need.
Device Aid for Pressure
Homeowners can increase water pressure throughout their homes by installing pressure-boosting devices.
These are designed to fit onto the main water supply line of a home’s plumbing. They force more water through sinks, tubs, and showers.
Do-it-yourselfers with no mechanical knowledge should be able to mount the devices on the wall. Installing a pressure booster can help improve water pressure in areas of the home.
However, it is important to determine whether or not this device will increase water pressure throughout your entire home before installation.
A struggling showerhead may be resolved with one of these devices. But if other fixtures are still lacking pressure, the device may be a waste of time and money.
Pressure Boosting Device
Before installing this device, a homeowner must first determine if his home is even equipped with a pressure-boosting device. Such devices are rare in older homes that have been fitted for fixtures without considering future needs or demands from occupants.
In newer homes or those built within the past 20 years, a pressure booster may already be installed on the main supply line.
To test for a pressure-boosting device, turn off all faucets in the home except one, usually the lowest-pressured tap or fixture. Turn on this tap and wait to see if water trickles from higher taps when they are opened. If the lower tap does not produce increased water pressure, a booster device can be installed.
Pressure Balance Trim
If you have been looking for a way to turn your bathroom into the spa-like oasis that you have always wanted, but did not want to go through the time and money involved in a full renovation of your bathroom, then you should think about purchasing a pressure-balanced trim.
This type of device is an integral part of modern plumbing systems, with many people using them in their bathrooms with great success and without having to resort to any type of re-modeling.
You can buy an inexpensive pressure balance with a set screw or a plastic sleeve if you do not wish to spend the money on the more expensive metal trim, which is typically used for commercial applications.
Rough-In Tray
The pressure balance trim will regulate the water flow through your shower and spread it evenly over the entire head of your shower. This prevents you from having to adjust both the hot and cold water valves periodically throughout your shower.
If one person likes a lot of hot water and another likes a lot of cold, then by reducing or increasing each to half, you can maintain a comfortable shower temperature for everyone.
Adjusting the trim is easy and does not require any special tools beyond what you should already have in your toolbox or hardware kit, like adjustable wrenches or screwdrivers. It takes only a few minutes to adjust the pressure balance handle for the bathroom, to make sure that your water pressure is at its highest setting.
After you have successfully adjusted the trim, you can rest easy knowing that you won’t be dealing with sluggish water flow and even pressure any time soon.
This handle will allow you to keep the bathroom pressure at a normal level, which is good for everyone in your household who likes taking a shower or bath, instead of waiting for someone else to finish.
