What you can safely check first
Low pressure at a single faucet or shower is very often something you can clean yourself.
- Check whether it's one fixture, the hot side only, or the whole house. That points to the cause.
- For one faucet, unscrew the aerator at the tip, rinse the screen, and soak it in white vinegar if it's crusty.
- For a showerhead, soak it in a bag of white vinegar for an hour, then rinse.
- If the whole house is low, make sure the main shutoff is fully open, and ask a neighbor whether theirs is low too. If it is, the water utility is the call to make.
What might be behind it
More than one thing can cause this, which is why the plumber finds the cause first.
A clogged aerator or showerhead. Mineral scale builds up in the screen on a faucet or the holes in a showerhead. If only one fixture is weak, that's usually why.
A pressure regulator that's failing. Many homes have a pressure regulator where the water line comes in. As it wears out, pressure can drop, or climb, for the whole house.
A hidden leak. A leak in a wall, under the slab, or in the yard lets water escape before it reaches your faucets.
Scale in the water heater. If only the hot water is weak, sediment in a tank or scale in a tankless unit can restrict the flow.
How we fix it
We measure pressure and compare fixtures to separate a local restriction from a whole-house issue. We check the regulator, supply and signs of a leak as needed. A heater-related restriction is investigated separately when only the hot side is affected.
Depending on the cause, the relevant services are water pressure regulator, leak detection, water heater repair or tankless water heaters.
Where we fix it
Our plumbing shop is at 910 Cable St in Conroe. We also serve the surrounding towns. Check our plumbing service area and ZIP codesbefore requesting a visit.