For many homeowners, a common problem that you are likely to encounter is the presence of water pressure problems in the plumbing. The most common of these is having low water pressure, such as when you live on the upper floors of an apartment building with an outdated plumbing system.
However, the converse of having too much water pressure can also be a problem. Of course, having high water pressure can be a good thing for a shower, but in many other respects, it’s something that you need to be wary of. This is particularly so if you are interested in keeping your home’s plumbing in good condition for a long time.
The consequences of having high water pressure
For you to understand why you should watch out for and try to sort out high water pressure, you only need to consider the consequences of the same. When you have very high water pressure in your home, it means that all the components of the plumbing will be exposed to pressure levels that they are not designed for. For instance, your faucets are likely to end up having accelerated wear, and you will need to replace them more regularly than usual. Having a very high water pressure will also increase the cost of water use in your home. You will naturally use more water than usual, and there will also be a higher risk of events such as having too many water leaks as well.
The overall result is that if your home is exposed to a water pressure that is higher than what the system was designed for, you will end up with a scenario where you have more problems with the plumbing, and will need to pay more for the system to run efficiently.
How do you tell that the pressure is high?
There are many signs that could indicate that the water pressure in your home is very high. The most obvious of these is when you notice that the water rushes out of the faucets or showerheads when you open them up. This is actually one of the commonest reasons why people try to intervene for high water pressure issues. In addition to that, this problem can also manifest as regular banging in the plumbing. This is known as a water hammer and occurs when pressure fluctuations in the system result in noisy operation.
Well, the only way to find out for sure whether the pressure is too high or not is by investing in a pressure gauge. You can then screw this into one of the outlets, preferably the closest one to your water meter. This will give you a definite reading (in PSI) of the water pressure. The ideal water pressure for a home is around 80PSI or less, so if you find that it’s significantly higher than this then you will definitely need to intervene. Pressure gauges are not very expensive, and can be found in most DIY stores.
The other way to handle it is by calling a plumber to come and do the analysis for you. A benefit of this is that not only will they find out how much pressure the water in your home has, but they will also advise you on how to normalize it for the good of the plumbing system.
What causes high water pressure?
Knowing what causes high water pressure can help you have a high index of suspicion, such as when you are shopping for an apartment. One of the common causes of high water pressure is when the home is at the bottom of a hill, with water lines running from the top of the hill into the home. In addition to that, the nature of the surroundings can also give you an indication of how much water pressure will be there.
For instance, if you live in an area where there are many high-rise buildings, the water company might increase the water pressure to ensure that it can reach the top floors of such buildings. They may also do the same if there happens to be a few fire hydrants in the area as well. High pressure can also be caused by thermal expansion when water in your home expands due to being heated up by ambient temperatures. This causes it to occupy more space.
What you can do about it
The most effective way of normalizing high water pressure is by installing a water pressure regulator in the lines leading to the home. This can be calibrated to around 80PSI. When the pressure exceeds this, the device will simply absorb all the extra pressure, and this will protect the plumbing in your home.
In summary, having high water pressure in your home is something that you should definitely be interested in. As many Arizona plumbing experts will advise you, making sure that it’s optimized will definitely reduce the risk of plumbing complications.