By Jill Lawrence O'Hara and Tom Scalisi and Bob Vila Staff | Updated Oct 31, 2023 3:09 PM
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Starting or ending a long day with a weak shower is pretty unsatisfying, if not downright frustrating. When other around-the-house fixes rank as higher priorities, sometimes you just learn to live with poor water pressure. Even though you may tolerate a trickle, you should probably treat friends and family who come for a visit to something better.
Don’t let low water pressure ruin your reputation as the host with the most! Resolve to finally achieve a healthy flow of water—for you and your houseguests—by trying these solutions for how to increase water pressure. Some are quick fixes and others, more extensive projects.
First things first: Contact your neighbors to see if they are experiencing similar problems with their water pressure. If they are, the issue may be with the city’s municipal water system. Just like your home’s piping, citywide systems are subject to leaks, clogs, buildup, and corrosion.
Some homes receive water from a city’s municipal water supply, while others have wells drilled deep into the ground. The cause of your water pressure problems could be the well, or the well pump supplying water to the home.
For instance, centrifugal-style well pumps don’t operate particularly well with deep wells. Likewise, a submersible pump that’s gone unserviced might be starting to lack. Jet pumps, while good for most well depths, also need maintenance from time to time.
If the well can’t keep up with the home’s water needs, you might need to drill a new one to keep up with the demand.
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Before calling your local water department, you can test the city water pressure yourself by using a water pressure test gauge with a hose connection. Simply screw the device onto a hose faucet and turn on the tap, having first made sure that the rest of your home’s faucets and any water-using appliances (for example, the dishwasher and washing machine) are turned off.
According to experts, 45 or 50 psi is on the low side, 60 is a good reading, and 80 or above is too high. After you have either ruled out or confirmed a citywide pressure problem, you can decide which steps to take next.
Over time, your pipes can develop a buildup of mineral deposits, and the situation can be particularly bad if you have hard water. In extreme cases, the diameter of the pipes decreases until they clog, preventing the water from freely flowing through, and killing the house water pressure. This leaves you with a pitiful drip in the shower or a paltry trickle from the faucet.
While extreme cases require that you replace sections of pipe, you can handle some clogs on your own. In fact, you can tackle the blockages at your system’s exit points by dissolving any minerals that are gumming up the works inside your faucet fixtures and shower heads.
Simply place an open ziplock bag filled with vinegar over your shower head or faucet, tie it in place with some string, and leave it overnight to soak. Rinse off your cleaned fittings the next morning, and put your bathroom back together. If this trick doesn’t increase water pressure and you believe there is a more severe mineral clog inside the pipes, call in a plumber to assess and correct the problem.
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This solution requires little more than a few minutes of investigative work. Your house has a main water valve, usually located near the meter; the valve controls the flow of water into your home’s pipes. Find the valve and check to see if it’s completely open. Opening a half-shut valve is one of the quickest ways for increasing home water pressure.
Sometimes the main valve is turned off accidentally during routine repairs and maintenance without the homeowner’s knowledge. If, for example, your drop in water pressure coincides with recent work you’ve had done on the home, the contractor may have turned off the main water supply and, at the end of the job, only partially reopened the valve. The result: restricted water flow and reduced pressure. Fortunately, the valve is easy to adjust yourself—there&rs