You know your water pressure is down when the showerhead gets too weak to a point of dripping instead of gushing. The faucets soon dry up and the washer starts to take ages to fill.
So, How Can You Get Better Water Pressure in A Manufactured Home?
Well, before even looking for water pressure issues in the home you need to check (with a plumber) the basics:
- What’s your home’s static water pressure?
- What’s the height of the building?
- What are the condition and sizes of your water supply pipes as well as their overall length or number of bends?
Of course, there are so many other causes of pressure drop in water pipes.
Test Your Water Pressure
You need to start by knowing the pressure of water in your pipes, then resort to any corrective measure (more on this later).
Anything below 40 lbs. per square inch (or PSI), is insufficient. For every water outlet to function properly, an average home need to be supplied with water at a pressure of 40 – 60 PSI. Nonetheless, 50 PSI is the ideal pressure for both residential and commercial establishments.
Here Is How To Determine Your Home’s Water Pressure:
- Start by purchasing the Watts Water Pressure Test Gauge or any other similar gauge which should cost you anything in the region of $10.
- Go on to tighten the female thread of the gauge on any of your outdoor garden-hose faucets. Ensure that all valves near your meter are open.
- Proceed to open your hose faucet to read the pressure on the needle dial of the gauge.
- As aforementioned, anything at or below 40 PSI means your water pressure is too low and must be increased.
Check Your Water Flow Rate And Increase If It’s Low
The flow rate of the water has a big say on the overall pressure in the supply pipes.
It is the amount of water delivered through your pipes in a certain period, normally calculated in GPM (gallons per minute).
High water demand past what the system can sustain may make it appear as if your home has very low water pressure.
For instance, let’s say a certain home was designed to operate on a 10 GPM flow rate – it means the water system in that home can only sustain about 10 gals.
That’s perfectly OK as long as the total water use (washer + sink faucets + shower etc.) doesn’t exceed this rate. Anything past that, say 12 GPM, would mean the home is operating at a higher flow rate than it’s permitted, hence a situation similar to low water pressure.
How do you even check the flow rate of a home?
- Start by turning off all the water outlets in the home.
- Then, take your garden hose and connect it to your outdoor faucet.
- Now line up 3 empty 5-gal. buckets. Proceed to turn on the faucet to fill your buckets at full speed.
- Turn it off after 60 seconds of running and measure the amount of water you captured.
- If you filled 2/1/2 buckets, chances are high that the flow rate of your home is almost 12/1/2 GPM. Bear in mind that an average household uses 100 to 120 gallons of water per person, daily. This means the ideal flow rate for an average home is 6 – 12 GPM.
Six Ways To Increase Your Home’s Water Pressure
At this point, you have a good understanding of what a flow rate and water pressure are. Now let’s take a glance at the best ways to boost your water pressure.
1. Call your local water department
Is your home linked to the city water?
If it does, the first move should be to call your local or municipal water department.
Ask them to investigate your street address’s waterline.
They are supposed to run a prompt pressure test at zero charges.
If they don’t find any abnormality, chances are the issue is in the water supply system within your home.
Do you draw your water from a well? The best way to check the water pressure in this situation is to hire an experienced well-pump technician.
2. Make Adjustments To Your Pressure Reducing Valve
Perhaps the quickest and easiest way around this problem is to make adjustments to your pressure-reducing valve.
This valve is normally located somewhere along your main water supply channel/pipe. It is conical in shape and can be found close to your water meter where the main inlet pipe disappears into the house.
A small threaded bolt can be seen on top of the valve.
Loosen the locking nut, then turn the bolt in a clockwise direction – this alone should boost the water pressure.
You can use your pressure gauge to know when you hit the right water pressure – about 50 PSI.
Once you achieve the right pressure, tighten the locknut and secure the valve.
Hire a certified plumber to do it for you if you are unsure of what to do.
3. Look out for water leaks
Could it be that your water pipes are damaged or cracked, leaking and reducing the pressure?
The effect of damaged pipes is obvious – water is siphoned off along the way as it flows to where it is needed.
Depending on the extent of the damage, this can leave you with a sorry trickle at the tap.
How do you know your pipes are leaking or damaged?
Start by turning off both the outdoor and indoor faucets, then shut down the main water valve of the home.
Proceed to write down the reading on the meter.
Come back after 2 hours and read the meter again. You know your pipes are leaking if the second reading is higher than the first.
Call the professional and figure out how the pipes should be repaired or replaced.
4. Clear the clogs
As water pipes get older, mineral deposits build up until the smooth flow of water is hindered.
The longer the pipes stay clogged, the thinner the diameter gets until you start to receive drips of water in your shower.
Extreme cases may require extensive replacement work on large sections of the pipe.
Alternatively, you can hire a professional plumber to dissolve the minerals that may be gumming up the pipes.
Before settling on any specific repair method, the plumber will check to ensure there is no blocked faucet aerator or faulty fixture along the line.
Once they have established that clogged sections are the only culprit, they can employ one of these unclogging methods:
Pipe Removal And Scrubbing
The plumber locates the clogged pipe and proceeds to detach it off the rest of your line.
Thereafter, they use a combination of powerful cleaners to dissolve and remove the solid deposits from the walls of the pipes.
Lastly, they restore the pipes to test the flow of the water
Pipe Replacement
Complete pipe replacement is necessary in cases involving extreme clogging.
This solution is also recommended for situations involving extensive corrosion on the inner walls of the pipes where continued use of the water passing through these pipes would be unsafe.
With the help of the plumber, you should be able to track all the badly affected pipes, remove, and replace them with new pipes.
This time, be certain to use corrosive-resistant pipes such as those made of CPVC, PEX, or copper.
Air Pressure Method
It is also referred to as the “plunger” method of unclogging water supply pipes.
A plumber attaches an air hose pipe/line to the faucets affected by a localized clog.
They then blast an air pressure repeatedly into the faucet before running a stream of water to remove the dislodged calcite, corrosion, etc.
5. Install Water Softeners
This is the most recommendable method if the materials that clogged your pipes have something to do with the hard water flowing in them.
Hard water is any water with high amounts of dissolved mineral content.
The softener is pumped into the water line to get rid of the problem once and for all until the material builds up again.
You can only do this with the assistance of a certified plumber.
6. Add A Pressure Booster
This comes last on our list because it should be the last resort when all other options prove impossible to execute.
Hire a licensed plumber to install a water pressure booster pump.
These compact yet powerful pumps are placed somewhere in the water line in which they turbo-charge an incoming pressure and boost it to the right level.
Keep in mind that booster pumps are shipped in a wide range of styles and sizes, and normally range in price tags from as low as $100 to about $700 or more.
If your plumber is experienced, they will recommend the right pump perfect for your needs.
Conclusion
Oftentimes, the homeowner needs the assistance of a certified plumber to increase your home’s water pressure.
Some of the methods the plumber may employ include: making adjustments to your pressure-reducing valve, look out for water leaks, install water softeners, or add a pressure booster.
References
How to Increase Water Pressure on City Water
How to Increase Your Home’s Water Pressure
How to Increase Water Pressure in Your Home – The 5 Easy Ways