How to Diagnose Bad Water Pressure Due to Clogged Water Pipes
InspectAPedia® -
Guide to Diagnosing Bad Water Pressure due to clogged water supply piping in a building
How to find where water pipes are clogged and how to repair this problem.
How to diagnose loss of water pressure or loss of water in a building
Questions & answers about clogged water pipes and their effect on water pressure; how to repair or replace clogged water pipes for better water flow and pressure in a building.
This article explains how to Diagnose and Cure Bad Water Pressure Due to Clogged Water Supply Pipes - how to diagnose the loss of water pressure and the need for a replacement water pressure tank and water pump.
The process of diagnosis and the costs of the repair are explained.
InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers nor with topics or services discussed at this website.
Consumer advice on saving money on well repair costs
includes a review of the parts and labor costs of a typical well pump and pressure tank replacement case.
How to diagnose clogged building water supply piping as a cause of bad water pressure
Clogged water supply piping can cause poor water flow in a building. This can occur suddenly from debris clogging a delivery pipe, often at a turn or "elbow" in the piping, but that's not common.
If the building water supply
piping is blocked usually this is a long-standing problem.
Examples of causes of poor water pressure due to blocked pipes include
Water pipes becoming clogged internally due to rust or mineral build-up (is your water hard? are the pipes iron?),
Poor installation of the supply piping (did the plumber push too much solder into a copper pipe joint during installation?
The sketch (above left), courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates shows how galvanized steel water supply piping becomes clogged from rusting or mineral deposits.
There are two useful diagnostic tricks to determine if building water piping is clogged:
First make sure you rule out simple problems like a clogged water filter (See WATER FILTERS) , a partly-closed main water valve, or problems with the water supply source itself. That diagnosis procedure starts at WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR.
If water pressure is good when you first open a faucet, but immediately falls off to a poor flow, then the system pressure is good but there is probably a constriction in the piping.
If water pressure is good at some fixtures but terrible at others then it's not a system problem, it's a problem at an individual fixture or at water supply piping feeding that fixture. For example, awful water pressure at one sink could simply be due to a clogged strainer at the faucet.
If water pressure is good in some areas of the building but poor at others at all fixtures and if this problem has always been present, there may be a blockage at just one water supply pipe or connection, such as at an elbow clogged by solder. We've diagnosed this problem the hard way by starting to cut open supply pipes downstream from the last point where we found good water pressure.
A main water supply pipe failure between the municipal water main in the street (or from a private well) and water supply pipes in the building the building,
can occur, perhaps by leaking or by becoming clogged with rust or minerals so that water is not being delivered to the home at good pressure or not at all (if the
water line has burst).
In cold climates, the water supply line may have frozen outside or even in the building at an un-heated location.
Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
Water Supply & Drain Piping, Wells, Pumps, Water Supply Equipment
Access Water Energy, PO Box 2061, Moorabbin, VIC 3189, Australia, Tel: 1300 797 758, email: sales@accesswater.com.au Moorabbin Office: Kingston Trade Centre, 100 Cochranes Rd, Moorabbin, VIC 3189
Australian supplier of: Greywater systems, Solar power to grid packages, Edwards solar systems, Vulcan compact solar systems, water & solar system pumps & controls, and a wide rage of above ground & under ground water storage tanks: concrete, steel, plastic, modular, and bladder storage tanks.
Cheating on water tests: Testing Water for Real Estate Transactions - make sure your water test is valid
Smart Tank, Installation Instructions [ copy on file as /water/Smart_Tank_Flexcon.pdf ] - , Flexcon Industries, 300 Pond St., Randolph MA 02368, www.flexconind.com, Tel: 800-527-0030 - web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://www.flexconind.com/pdf/st_install.pdf
Typical Shallow Well One Line Jet Pump Installation [ copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect_Jet_Pumps_1.pdf ] - , Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf
Typical Deep Well Two Line Jet Pump Installation [ copy on file as /water/Jet_Pump_Grove_Elect.pdf ] - , Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf
Water Fact Sheet #3, Using Low-Yielding Wells [ copy on file as /water/Low_Yield_Wells_Penn_State.pdf ] - , Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension, School of Forest Resources, web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/XH0002.pdf
Water pressure tanks - how to diagnose the need for air, how to add air, stop water pump short cycling to avoid damage - water storage water pressure tank safety.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of the Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.
Crystal Clear Supply provides portable ceramic water filter purifiers and portable reverse osmosis water treatment equipment - see http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/category_s/7.htm
Mobile View
