Very Low Water Pressure - Democratic Underground

Stinky The Clown

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Tue Jan-03-06 10:03 PM
Original message

Very Low Water Pressure

Over tha lst day or two, our water pressure has been dropping. Now it is down to little more than a trickle.

It isn't pipe blockage, because if it were, there would be a surge of full pressure water when you first openn the tap and then it woudl taper off to a low flow. Ours has low pressure from the outset.

It is likely not clogged pipes. The house is all copper. I've lived with old iron pipes and kjow the difference. This isn't that.

I am at a total loss to know what to even check.

Any ideas?

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NMDemDist2

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Tue Jan-03-06 10:13 PM
Response to Original message

1. roots blocking the main water line is my guess

oleanders are notorious for that so look down your main water line and see if there's any trees/shrubs that may be the culprit

and check you main valve too, my problem was the valve was opened somehow, maybe yours has been closed somehow....

good luck!

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Stinky The Clown

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Wed Jan-04-06 04:57 PM
Response to Reply #1

7. That could be it for a drain, but for a supply ........

.... not as likely. The leak would be very obvious since the water would be existing under pressure.

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politicat

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Wed Jan-04-06 11:25 PM
Response to Reply #7

11. Do you have hard water?

You may have mineral buildup in the faucets that are behaving badly. (It's possible that two of them went at the same time, especially if they're the same age and get about the same amount of use.)

My next step would be to take apart the faucets, soak them in CLR or similar, and (while you have the faucet off, test the pressure coming from the pipe.)

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eleny

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Tue Jan-03-06 10:18 PM
Response to Original message

2. A break btwn main and your house?

Can you close the main near the street?

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Stinky The Clown

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Wed Jan-04-06 04:58 PM
Response to Reply #2

8. That would cause a soggy spot in the lawn.

Ours isn't soggy. I can also see the water meter, and I know what it looks like when it is as small a leak as a bad toilet. The water meter shows no use when everything is turned off.

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politicat

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Tue Jan-03-06 11:13 PM
Response to Original message

3. What's the weather been like there?

Freezy? Cold? Check with a neighbor to find out if they are having the same problems.

It sounds like either the main is busted or the main pipe from the main is busted. You want to hope for the former - then the city fixes it. The latter is your responsibility (unless you're in a condo type community...)

Look around outside for soggy patches in the yard between the street and where the water comes into the house.

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eleny

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Wed Jan-04-06 01:03 PM
Response to Reply #3

4. Juicy spots in the lawn would be the sign for sure

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NMDemDist2

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Wed Jan-04-06 03:55 PM
Response to Reply #4

5. yup GMTA n/t

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Stinky The Clown

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Wed Jan-04-06 05:00 PM
Response to Reply #3

9. I'm the only one with this problem .......

If the main is leaking, it is on the city's side. My water meter is showing no sign of a lak and it is located exactly at the line where the repair responsibility switches from the city to me.

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Warpy

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Wed Jan-04-06 04:40 PM
Response to Original message

6. In one faucet or in all?

If it's just in one faucet, it's likely a bad stem valve. If it's in all of them, then something is wrong with the supply to the house.

Good luck...

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Stinky The Clown

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Wed Jan-04-06 05:01 PM
Response to Reply #6

10. Funnily enough ..... in more than one faucet ..... but not in all of them.

And **that* is exactly what's so vexing about this. It is in two unrelated faucets!

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Lugnut

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Thu Jan-05-06 01:57 AM
Response to Reply #10

12. Dumb question I know

But you don't have any in-line filters anywhere do you? Just fishing here because it is very odd.

We have water pressure issues from the hard well water that clogs up the hot water coil in the stoker. But you don't have a well and I'm pretty sure you don't have a coal stoker.

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Stinky The Clown

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Thu Jan-05-06 09:18 AM
Response to Reply #12

13. Hahahaha

Nope ..... I have neither.

(What's a coal stoker?) :)

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Lugnut

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Fri Jan-06-06 12:38 AM
Response to Reply #13

15. A furnace

I get that a lot. lol Here in the anthracite coal region many people heat their homes with coal stokers. Ours looks like this one.

Relatively speaking it's an inexpensive fuel. The downside is you need room for a coal bin in your basement, there are ashes that have to be removed and it's dirty and dusty. We use about 6 or 7 tons of rice coal per year at about $100 a ton and that's for both heat and hot water. My husband works in the local coal industry so it's a form of job security as well.

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Warpy

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Thu Jan-05-06 02:15 PM
Response to Reply #10

14. If the faucets are on separate supply lines

you can pretty much rule in simultaneously dying stem valves. Stem valves generally die a slow death, with water fading from a gush to a trickle and finaly to an ooze.

If they're on the same supply line (like on opposite sides of a wall), then you might be looking at something clogging the line.

Since you've got normal pressure in other faucets, it's unlikely that you've got problems with the supply to the house.

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