How Do You Adjust Water Pressure in Your House

Having the right water pressure coming into your home is essential for different reasons that this article will explain. Too low is dangerous and is a symptom of a problem and too high water pressure could be critical to the piping that carries it throughout your home inside and out. How do you adjust the water pressure in your house?

1. Check your house’s H2o Pressure with a PSI Gauge
2. Should be in the area of 40-50 psi
3. Connect to H2O faucet like a hose bib
4. If High
5. Adjust or replace the Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) at H2o meter
6. If Low
7. Adjust PRV-loosen lock nut & turn clockwise
8. For Well system-decrease or increase pressure switch on tank

The average water distribution infrastructure in the United States is failing, suffering from age and lack of funds unless the suppliers were responsibly foreseeing the problems that are inevitable for all municipal and privately-owned companies. Their job, deliver clean drinking water at the appropriate water pressure and maintain the system.

What Should My Water Pressure Be

Residential water pressure tends to range between 40 and 80 psi (pounds per square inch). Anything below 40 psi is considered low the minimum pressure required by most codes n the United States is 20-30 psi. Pressures above 80 psi are way too high. So the good working average of 40-50 psi is considered good working pressure. Do you have a well?  If you do the same information applies to you too!

How to Check Water Pressure With a Gauge

A real simple way to measure your water pressure is to hook up a pressure gauge to one of your hose valves that are located outside your house. There will probably be one on the outside of your house where you use a garden hose connected to the hose bib or where your washer is connected to the water source.

I would recommend using this location instead of at your water meter or anywhere inside your home. Normally the hose valve is at the easiest spot to access where water comes into your house. 

You can buy the gauge, washer, and hose at a Pool or Hardware store. Here is a good video on measuring the pressure that’s made in Britain but will work the same. Make sure you bleed any air and the line and the gauge or you may get a false reading. For an accurate reading, you’ll need a water pressure gauge. Hook this to the faucet nearest your main water line. Make sure all the water in the house is turned off, including the ice maker. Do this again an hour or two later. Ideally, you would do this over two or three days at the time you expect to run your system, usually early in the morning. However,

How to Increase Water Pressure in House

Start by checking the water pressure for the house like we previously discussed. Before you make a determination on trying increasing the water pressure in your house make sure that it’s not only in one place like a clogged showerhead in the bathroom. That’s an easy fix just change the showerhead but if the whole house shows low pressure then go right to the pressure-reducing valve. 

• Look at where the main supply pipe comes in near your water meter for a conical valve that has a bolt sticking out of the cone.
• To raise the pressure, turn the bolt clockwise after loosening its locknut. Keep an eye on the gauge to make sure the pressure is within bounds, then retighten the locknut.
• Check with the neighbors to see if their water pressure is low
• Call the Municipality if you are on the city’s water(water companies flush their hydrants 2x a year which can lower water pressure coming into your home)  
• You may want to add a Water Pressure Booster to your existing City or Well water system( if so watch this great video on how)

Using water from a Well can be a bit scary. Water filters can help clean drinking water, but what about the Well water your family comes in contact with from showering and brushing their teeth, that can affect your skin and hair that they have to use every day. Read my article on MyWaterEarth&Sky called What is the best way to filter well water? 

How to Lower Water Pressure in House

High-pressure water can cause serious problems in your home, like pinhole leaks, in your plumbing, and it can severely damage your water heater, dishwasher, boiler system, and washing machine. Plus, it can increase your water bills by wasting water. 

A water pressure-reducing valve can reduce the incoming water pressure to help protect plumbing system components and reduce the water that can cause toilets to run, faucets to drip, water hammer to occur in the walls, and in extreme cases, it can even cause burst pipes that can flood your house.

A water pressure regulator (sometimes called a pressure-reducing valve, or PRV ) is a specialized plumbing valve that reduces the water pressure coming into the home through the main water line at the water meter.

If you need a PRV valve in your home, it is best installed directly after the main shutoff valve controls the water line coming into your home. This position allows the regulator to protect all pipes in your house, and it also makes it easy to quickly shut off the main water valve if you need to replace or repair the regulator.

Municipal installation:

• Test the water pressure, and
• adjust the regulator, if necessary.
• To adjust, loosen the locknut on the adjustment screw, then turn the screw up or down until the water pressure is at the desired level, as measured by a pressure gauge attached to a threaded hose bib somewhere in the home

For a Well Installation:

Once you get the pressure reducing valve installed and working you’ll need to check on it every now and again along with the water pressure coming in Check out this video for all the install information that you will need.

Well Water vs City Water Cost

JimGalloway Author/Editor