Poor water pressure in the house - help

swebb

I live in an old semi-detached house. The water pressure is poor. Last year I had this checked from the top of the road by Severn Trent water. The pressure was no problem there. The guy said he thought the pressure in the house was about half of what it should have been.

We have an out-house just behind the back door (used to be a toilet years ago). There is an outside tap there along with a stop !!!! (?) which allows you to turn it on and off. I use that tap for the hose to clean the car etc. and this is why it's such a problem because it's so poor and sometimes e.g. when the washing machine is on, it can be just a dribble!

The guy from Severn Trent said there is probably a tap somewhere that will allow the pressure to be increased. This will mean all sorts of fun trying to find it. Before I go down that road, has anyone got any ideas I can try first?

ceramica_bathrooms

Before you start do you know what the incoming main is made of, i.e copper , lead , plastic or galvanised.

swebb

No. But I recall a neighbour mentioning something about lead pipes in the past.

ceramica_bathrooms

okay, the reason i ask is if it was galvanised, a common problem would be that the pipe begins to fur up resulting in low water pressure. Do you know where your main stop tap is in your house,(usually under the kitchen sink). When you find it, see if it is fully open i.e fully anti clockwise and back a quarter of a turn. If it is lead do you really want to be drinking from it?

swebb

Stop tap is under the sink and is in the position you mention (we've used this several times before for different things). There is also another tap beside it that's red. It doesn't look the same as the stop tap; it's circular and red. No one knows what this does... we've turned it before and it doesn't seem to have any effect.

ceramica_bathrooms

I also live in an old semi detached property, the mains water supplies four houses from the main stop tap which is located in the pathway next to the road . Do you know where this is? Is this the one that Severn trent located, and if so, does it also supply your neighbours. Ask them if they also suffer from low water pressure. Maybe it could just be a faulty stop tap under your k sink i.e (loose jumper). This would be where i would start, cheapest option. If you are on a lead main ring Severn trent to find out whether there is a grant to upgrade to plastic. Sorry dont know what the valve next to stop tap is.

silvercar

could the red tap be taking water to your tank in the loft? You wouldn't notice it doing anything until your tank went dry!