Water Pressure Is Getting Worse...what to do?


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Old 09-07-05, 07:15 AM
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Water Pressure Is Getting Worse...what to do?

Hey all! I live in an older home...built in 1925. The water pressure in my house isn't that good at all. The shower is fine, the upstairs sink is weak and when you flush a toilet, the water dribbles out of any other faucet thats on. I can't run my sprinkler outside and flush a toilet or the sprinkler shuts off....etc....you know the rest.

I had a plumber come and look at the problem and he told me that my main line into the house may need to be replaced. Reason being that it is an iron pipe that rusts from the outside in and the whole for the water is getting smaller and is more difficult to pass through. I don't want to have to put in a new main line because it seems that the line runs right underneath my brandnew paver walkway I just put in!! Do I really need a new main line?

Is there anything I can do to bosst my pressure? Is there something that I can install to boost it?
 
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Old 09-07-05, 07:22 AM
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One thing to add.......

Ive noticed that growing up and in most homes, when the water comes out of a sink it has air mixed with the water. My sinks don't seem to have that as just water comes out...this sound normal?

I wish I knew plumbing.
 
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Old 09-07-05, 07:26 AM
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You probably have galvanized pipe for your main. The plumber is correct that the pipe rusts and the inside diameter gets smaller. This restricts the water supply to the home. I have seen 1" pipes with an inside diameter of less than a pencil. Putiing a pump on would not do any good. You cannot pull more water than is there.
You could try going to each fixture and turn off the water supply valves under each. Disconnect the supply tube at the valve. Hold a rag over the valve and turn the supply valve on and off two or three times. This may dislodge any sediment that is blocking the supplies.
With a home as old as yours, the whole house plumbing is probably galvanized pipe. Good luck.
I just read your second post. Air is not normal unless you have aerators on the end of the spouts on your fixtures. These also plug up with sediment. If you have aerators, unscrew them and clean out the screens in them. Remember the order they came out in so you replace them the same way. They are also cheap to replace.
 
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Old 09-07-05, 07:27 AM
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So you're telling me Im pretty much screwed right? Oh no! haha
 
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Old 09-07-05, 07:40 AM
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I have heard of companies that rod out waterlines. No experience with them and there is always the chance that it could damage or reval a hole that was plugged with rust. Not much good news here. Sorry.
 
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Old 09-07-05, 01:15 PM
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Majakdragon: Actually, pipe lining is kind of interesting. They install valves where they may need them, sand or bead blast the rust out of the old galvanized, then coat with epoxy. Here's a link:

http://www.ampipelining.com/

BTW, this is probably not practical for residential applications.

dmerces: 80 year old galvanized piping? I predict a re-pipe in your future.
 

Last edited by steve_gro; 09-07-05 at 11:59 PM.
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Old 09-07-05, 01:22 PM
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Water getting problem

dmerces, the posts that I've seen agree that if you have galv. pipe in your system it has to come out. If You want to do it yourself, I can tell you a method that will save your pavers, all you need is a strong back. Let me know, shacko.
 
 

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