Why You Should Have your Water Pressure Fixed

When it comes to household water pressure, we tend to take the Goldilocks approach. Not too high, not too low, but just right. In fairness, there’s definitely a range of pressures that can be considered fine, but pressures that are too low can be a symptom of something much more problematic, while those that are too high could damage your plumbing system or even hurt someone.

Too Low is considered anything under 30 psi. Before you bother testing the household water pressure, you’ll likely notice problems like your shower head barely rinsing away soap or your sink taking forever to fill up when you’re doing dishes. A water pressure gauge from your local hardware store will help you confirm if there’s a problem. While pressure that’s too low may seem like it’s not a big deal, it can be. Low pressure is often a symptom of something else — like a leaking pipe that may be going unnoticed and causing mould growth. We’ve talked before about testing for a leak, but if you’ve forgotten, here it is again:

Turn off all water using appliances and check your water meter. It’s a good idea to get everyone out of the house for a couple hours so no one can accidently use water. When you’ve returned after 2-3 hours, check the meter again. If it’s changed, you likely have a leak. Even if you don’t have a leak, it’s time to call in one of our expert Calgary plumbers. We can do a video inspection to diagnose and fix your low pressure problem for good!

Too High is considered above 80 psi. As with low pressure, you’ll likely notice some problems — the water hurting your hands or even thunking against the bottom of the sink, before you buy a gauge. High pressure isn’t only problematic because it could hurt the hands of someone using the sink, but also because it’s damaging your plumbing system. Pipes are strong, and they’ll bare the extra pressure for a while, but if the problem continues too long, they will break and fail. Regardless of why you have high water pressure — it may be something as simple as living at the bottom of a hill, our plumbers can install a plumbing regulator to keep pressure in the Goldilocks zone.

When it comes to household water pressure, you want to makes sure it’s neither too high nor too low. Our Calgary plumbers can help you keep it just right. Contact Plumbing Paramedics today to learn more about why your water pressure may be acting up and how we can help!