Is there anything I could do, short of building a water tower in my back yard, to increase the water pressure of our home plumbing?
We have municipal water, but our line pressure is lousy inside the house. This could be due to the old steel piping becoming narrower, and narrower inside with rust and lime. Probably would have to re-plumb the entire house with copper piping? Oh Lord, I hope not! :(:eek:
Also, is there a device I can buy/use to measure what the current water pressure of the plumbing is?
There are water pressure gauges that will attach to a standard hose fitting – your local Home Depot/Lowe’s/whatever should have them.
Most newer homes have pressure regulators installed as part of the construction process; it’s usually a small cylindrical or bell-shaped bit located near the water main’s entry into the house.
There is NO way in the world you can get any informed answer with the amount of information you give. Anyone who has a simple andswer to such a vaguely described problem is whistling in the dark.
I have been thorugh similar problems and have a good grasp on solutions but I need more information.
What is the supply pressure? You can measure this anywhere in your system when there is NO flow to cause pressure drop. Note that supply pressure can change over time so one reading is not enough.
If, as you suspect, pressure drop comes from rusted steel pipes, most solutions will be unsatisfactory and temporary, ie: a waste of time, money and effort. This for the simple reason that if the pipes are in such sorry state they will soon develop leaks and higher pressure will only make it worse.
I cannot see where building a water tower would be any solution. If the initial pressure is so low you would need to pump it up there in the first place. And i doubt you can build a tower tall enough anyway.
if the pressure supply is good and the drop is caused by flow restriction in your pipes you could install a pressure booster at the entrance but, as I said, I think it would be an expensive and temporary solution.
I had the same problem here and ended up biting the bullet and replacing the pipes. But to diagnose your problem I need more information about pressure and a description of the installation.
Sailor’s right about the lack of info making a good answer tough, but maybe I can give you an idea of what to look for. Due to fluctuating city water pressure, most homes I have seen have a pressure regulator, which might be the problem. Water from the city comes through a water meter near the street, and then underground and up either in the garage or right next to the house, usually near a hose-bib on the front. There might be a valve, and then the pipe tees, and the side out goes to the sprinkler system and/or a hose-bib, which is a good place to see the city pressure. Then, above the tee, is usually a pressure regulator. These are good for 10 to 20 years, but sometimes they go bad. They are only $40 or so, so if the pressure before it seems OK, you might want to get a new one. IIRC, they usually fail the opposite way though, meaning they stop dropping the pressure and allow full city pressure through, causing faucets and things designed for lower pressures to burst in exciting ways when used.
It could be a good place to start. If the problem is in your pipes, then replacing them is the only effective way to fix the problem. If the city pressure is normal and you put in a booster pump you could cause problems to your system, and start getting neat things like in-the-wall leaks.
First, try the obvious. Find the water shut off outside & turn it further on! Viola! More water! There is usually one at the street & one at the house [near the hose faucet].