Proper care and maintenance related to plumbing in St. Paul ensures that the drains are clear and the faucets and shower heads provide the best performance. It is not uncommon though to experience a low water pressure situation in your house. Low water pressure means that you are not getting the sufficient water flow from your faucets. This article discussed the common causes for low water pressure and how it can be fixed with acumen for plumbing in St. Paul.
Understand The Low Water Pressure For Plumbing In St. Paul
Understand first if the low water pressure situation is in a single fixture, few fixtures or all around the house. When the low pressure condition is throughout the house, it indicates a corroded pipe, faulty pressure relief valve, partially closed valve or may be the municipal supply itself has a low pressure.
You can use water pressure gauges to test the water pressure. When testing the water pressure, close all the taps and faucets in the house and then the pressure gauge needs to be threaded on any hose bib. Turn the bib on and note the reading on the gauge. This is the static pressure and should be between 50-75 PSI. If the reading is below 50 then check your plumbing but if the pressure is below 20 PSI, then you should call the municipality to get more information.
Check And Adjust The Shut-Off Valve For Plumbing In St. Paul
Make sure that the shut-off valve on the main water line is not partially or fully closed. It should be fully open. Shut-off valves can be the ball type or the gate type. The ball type shut-off valve has a handle that should be ‘in-line’ with the piping. This allows the water to flow properly. If you turn this handle by 90 degrees, it will shut-off the water supply. Any intermediate position can cause limited flow. A gate type shut-off valve has a rotary handle. Turn it clockwise to close the gate and stop the water flow and turn is counter-clockwise to open the gate. If the valves look older and frozen, use a wrench to turn it 1/8th to unfreeze it.
Check The Pressure Relief Valve For Plumbing In St. Paul
A pressure reducing valve or PRV installed for plumbing in St Paul home has an internal assembly that consists of springs and discs to regulate the water pressure. A failure of this valve or any assembly part can result in low water pressure. You will need to disassemble this valve to check for any failures.
Make sure to shut-off the house water supply. You can shut the main supply if that is before the PRV but if not, then the supply needs to be shut-off at the municipal supply. After you disassemble the PRV, check all parts for corrosion and deposits and get proper replacements.
