Long Island Home Inspection - Is your water pressure low?

I do many inspections of older homes from the 1920' through the 80's, and the real old houses sometimes have low water pressure at the sinks.

I am often asked why this happens, and most times I have the answer, but sometimes I do not.

The house I inspected in Freeport, NY yesterday was built in the 1920's. The water main entered the foundation at the front corner of the basement. The pipe was covered with foam insulation, but after removing the insulation I noticed galvanized pipe protruding from the foundation wall.

This old piping is no longer used for water supply nor drain piping for the same reason - rust - which builds up within the piping, and this decreases the inside diameter of the pipe causing less water to flow.

I typically have the bathroom sink and shower running when I am showing the client what the water pressure is in the kitchen of the home they hire me to inspect.

With multiple fixtures in operation while the kitchen sink is running, I flush one or somtimes 2 toilets to see what the pressure change is in the kitchen and bathroom at the sinks.

Sometimes the pressure drop is drastic to the point of a thin stream of water at the kitchen or bathroom sink. Most times pressure drops a small amount, but it is visually noticeable. 

Other homes have a lead water main, and for obvious reasons this piping should be updated, and many times this is needed for a galvanized water main too if water pressure is of utmost importance.

Reducing the pipe diameter right after the water meter is another common reason for water pressure to be low, and sometimes I see only half inch pipe for the entire home after the water main. 

I have also done inspections of homes that have well water, and water pressure is typically low in these homes, but that is expected.

Extremely low pressure can be repaired with the use of a water pressure booster, but pressure must be very low for this device to be used.

I aways recommend a qualified plumbing contractor to evaluate the cause of the low pressure when it is found, so your options are known.

-Ray