You’re barely awake in your morning shower when you realize something is not quite right. What should be a refreshing wake-up is nothing but a dribble from the faucet: you’ve suddenly lost water pressure. There are a variety of reasons why you may have lost water pressure—some easy to fix on your own and some requiring professionals. At Ace Plumbing, we’re always ready to find a solution to your pressure issues.
Clogged Faucets
Start with the smallest problem first by dismantling your faucet head and checking for mineral build-up. If you have rust build-up around the holes in your faucet head, your water pressure will be affected at this outlet.
Cleaning your faucets is the simplest, fastest option, but you should also work with a plumbing professional to investigate heavy mineral deposits. If you are noticing build-up in your faucet, there may also be build-up in your pipes. Not only can these types of minerals affect your water quality, but they could also be a sign of damage like pipe corrosion.
Pipe Corrosion
Newer construction uses PVC pipes, but if you own an older Baltimore home there’s a possibility that your pipes are metal and thus vulnerable to corrosion. Corroded pipes can slow your water pressure down significantly if the flaking rust clogs them internally.
In this case, low pressure is the symptom and not the problem. It can alert you to a serious issue that must be addressed: replacing your plumbing. Corroded pipes will eventually leak, which can cause significant damages throughout your home.
Similarly, if a leak has already begun, it will also reduce your water pressure. In older systems, pressure is a great indicator of the health of the pipes. If you have steadily worsening water pressure in metal pipes, call Ace to investigate for corrosion.
Inlet Issues
Verify that the valves which let water into your home all fully open, including the water meter valve and the main shutoff. If either of these is closed, you could be restricting water coming into your home.
You only have a water meter valve if you have city water. This connects you to the city system and would need a professional from the water company to address any issues that would prevent good flow to your home.
All homes have a main shutoff valve. This lets water into your interior pipes from your well or city connections. While it’s unlikely for this valve to spontaneously develop problems, it is worth checking if you had recently shut the water off for any reason.
Provider Problems
If you are hooked up to city water and experiencing low pressure, the first thing to verify is that there is not a main leak or work being performed. In these cases, you will have little control over the return of your pressure but can feel confident the issue does not lie in your plumbing.
If you woke up this morning to low pressure in your house, contact Ace Plumbing at (410) 256-7900. We come out to investigate, diagnose and repair your plumbing troubles. Restore your pressure and prevent further damage with Ace Plumbing on the job.
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