How do I get around low water pressure?

[donallen90]

Hi - we are in a rented house with low water pressure. Are there any shower heads that can improve water pressure?

Community manager's note: Check out How to change a shower head for expert advice.

[EricL]

Hello @donallen90

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your question about improving the water pressure in your shower.

If your shower head is old and is clogged up with calcium build-up, it may be time to replace your shower head. I recommend the Estilo Single Function Ball Joint Shower. It's rated with a maximum water flow of 9 litres a minute. I find that the simpler the showerhead, the better the flow of water. 

However, we can't discount the possibility that the pressure in your house is just low. I recommend going around the house and testing the water pressure in other areas of your house from the kitchen to the laundry. If you find that the water pressure is steady in all areas, it would be safe to conclude that it should be the same for your shower.

If you need more advice or information, please let us know.

Eric

[donallen90]

Hi Eric

Thanks for your response. Sorry I wasn't clear, we have low water pressure throughout the house, I was really wondering if the supposed low water pressure showerheads make any difference.

Cheers

Don

[EricL]

Hi @donallen90

My apologies for the miscommunication. One other avenue you can check is checking with your neighbours and see if they have low pressure in their house. If they have the same problem, then the entire area might have low pressure. You may also formally bring it up with the property manager. They can organize a plumber to visit your house and see if there is anything they can do to increase the pressure.

Using low-pressure showerheads restrict the flow of water. If it says maximum water flow 7.5 litres it severely limits the flow of water even if you have good water pressure. I suggest that if you change your shower head look carefully at the water flow rating indicated on the packaging. What you are looking for is a showerhead with a maximum flow of 9 litres a minute.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[approachmhn]

Hi @EricL,

I have got the same problem at my house where water pressure is extremely low. The kitchen, laundry, toilet, bathroom are all on one side of the house in the same order. 
If the tap in bathroom is opened, water doesn’t come in other taps.

sameway when laundry tap is running water, no water comes out of kitchen tap. 
plumber told water pressure is good outside but he could not give definitive answer. Water pressure is good at all surrounding neighbours houses.

Appreciate if you could help us.

Thanks.

[Noyade]

Hello!

"If the tap in bathroom is opened"

When that tap is opened - is it a good high pressure flow?

Could you tell us a little more what the plumber said - how did he explain away the problem?

[approachmhn]

Hi,

yes, I feel the pressure is good.

Plumber told the problem might be due to buildup in pipes as the house is nearly 40 years old. After that he didn’t come back nor picking up calls.

But I don’t buy that because water pressure is same in all the taps except that the farthest tap opened, water flow stops in other taps.

I am looking for suggestions here  before asking any other plumber to have a look.

thanks.

[Noyade]

I'm not a plumber - and I like to think 40 years is not old - so, unlikely it's galvanised pipe in your property?

I don't really understand "buildup" at all the tap sites?

Front and back hoses - pressure there OK?

[approachmhn]

I don’t think there are galvanised pipes. What I observed under house, they all look like PVC pipes.

Build up means something like pipes clogged due to calcium or some debris buildup.

Front and back hose pressure is ok. If I open garden taps, no water comes out of taps inside home.

[MitchellMc]

That's a bit of a strange one, @approachmhn, and you'll likely need to employ the services of a plumber to diagnose the issue. It's not enough to ask their opinion of why they think it's happening; you'll need to be prepared to pay for several hours of work for them to chase down the issue if you want to get it sorted. 

I can't see why operating one tap would stop the rest from working. It sounds like there is some type of blockage at or after the meter if only one tap at a time will operate. Typically, even with terrible pressure, you should be able to operate one tap and then when you turn on another, they'll both run at reduced pressure. I'm a bit perplexed why the second tap won't run at all.

Mitchell