How to Repair an Outdoor Faucet With Low Water Pressure

Yard work is made easier when your outdoor faucet provides steady water flow at optimal pressure. Low water pressure, on the other hand, can be a pain to deal with, and it, unfortunately, can be due to several circumstances. Follow these steps to correct this problem so you can get back to your work as soon as possible.

Step 1 - Determine What Kind of Water Pressure Problem You Have

You need to know whether the low pressure happens intermittently or consistently. Intermittent water pressure reduction could be simply due to other use of water inside your home. When you want to use an outside spigot, check that no other faucets or appliances, such as a shower, dishwasher, or washing machine, are also using water. If you have consistently low pressure throughout your home, not just at the outdoor faucet, you will have to check for a few different causes.

Step 2 - Pick Appropriate Yard Work Times and Fix Leaks

To be sure you're not fighting over water, limit your yard work to times between breakfast and lunch or in the early evening after dinner to allow maximum water flow to the yard. Also, inspect the turn handle of the outdoor faucet and the spigot to ensure that water is not being lost to leakage of any kind. Replace washers or packing nuts if there are leaks. If the faucet has a strainer, remove and clean it of any blockage as well. When you put the strainer back in, the water pressure should improve immediately.

Step 3 - Check Water Supply and Pipes

Check all the faucets and water-using devices in the house to see if they share this problem with water pressure. If so, it could be due to the pressure in your municipal supply, resulting from pipe leakage or overextension of municipal pipe systems. Also, if your pipes and plumbing are very old and you have hard water, mineral deposits in all the pipes could be reducing the pipe volume, slowing your water flow.

To fix the first problem, consult your plumber to come and test the water pressure. They will be able to provide more information regarding the source of the issue and how it might be remedied.

Use a flashlight to inspect the inside of your pipes for mineral deposits. To get rid of any present, flush the pipes with calcium, lime, and rust remover. If they are very rusty, indicated by red or dull brown water coming out as pipes are being flushed, you may have to replace the oldest pipes entirely. If these solutions do not fix the problem, ask a plumber about adding a water pressure booster to your residential plumbing system.

Step 4 - Replace the Outdoor Faucet

If all these steps fail to solve low water pressure at your outdoor faucet, examine its connection to the indoor plumbing of your house. The problem may lie with the indoor valve that redirects water to the outdoor faucet. However, if that valve is functioning correctly, you will want to just purchase and install a new outdoor faucet. An outdoor tap should be replaced every 15 to 20 years, so yours may just be overdue.