Why do old houses/buildings often have low water pressure? nt

[raccoon]

[MineralMan]

1. Low pressure or low volume?

Either way, build ups of deposits in pipes over many years can reduce the volume, and that's most often the cause.

[raccoon]

6. I mean when you turn the faucet open all the way, not much water comes out,

not as much as you'd expect, anyway.

[MineralMan]

7. OK. That's low volume, and

is almost certainly caused by a build-up of deposits. Are all the faucets in the house doing the same thing? If it's just one, then replacing the faucet with a new one will help a lot. If it's all the faucets, then it's a more general problem. Fixing it isn't an easy job and certainly not cheap.

[raccoon]

12. Well, these days it's my apartment so I'm not going to be the one to fix it.

I don't notice it in the kitchen but in the bathroom and washing machine.

But some years ago, I had a house that had that problem. At the time, the house was 35 years old
(built around 1950).

[MineralMan]

13. Ah, OK. I suppose you could contact the management

of your apartment with the complaint. Typically, they aren't much help, though. It may well be a localized problem with the fixtures in the problem areas. Washing machine shut-off valves can be an issue, for sure, as can bathroom fixtures. Sometime, replacing just those makes things a lot better. Good luck with this problem.

[jeff47]

14. One thing you can check pretty easily

Take the aerator off the end of the bathroom faucet, and remove any junk in it. May improve flow there.

Your washing machine may or may not have a similar screen that could be cleaned.

[Itchinjim]

2. Well, my low water pressure is due to prostate issues.

I can't speak for the buildings though.

[Webster Green]

3. I would think mineral deposit build up over the years narrows the openings.

Seems logical.

[MindPilot]

4. Because they have old pipes.

Usually galvanized steel instead of copper or plastic. They rust and mineral deposits build up inside the pipes causing reduced flow. Also in parts of many cities, the older neighborhoods don't have the pumping facilities that serve the newer areas.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. I think it's not just the deposits. Those old iron pipes

were rough on the inside to begin with & the roughness creates turbulence that impedes the smooth flow of the water. The pressure in old houses started out low, & just got worse over time.

[Extend a Hand]

8. galvanized water pipes from street almost closed due to deposits

When we bought our old 1910 folk victorian we had to have new pipes laid from the water main to the meter. Since the distance wasn't far in the old neighborhood with postage stamp lots it cost about $1300 3 years ago. If you have to do this you'll want to make sure all the other gas and utility lines are marked first.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Same Here

Then we changed the pipe to copper and it was night and day.

Before it could take 2 or 3 minutes to fill the coffee maker. After it took more like 20 seconds.

I think your explanation is correct, because iron collects iron and iron compounds like iron sulfate, and iron oxide.

When we took our pipes apart, some of the 3/8" pipe had an ID of an 1/8".

Happens to a lot of homes, and our house wasn't even as old as your home. Our house was built in 1948, but when we did the work, the pipes were probably 52 or 53 years old.

No problems ever since.
GAC

[NV Whino]

10. You're not pumping hard enough

[madokie]

11. Crud in the pipes

and the many 90 degree turns that is needed to get from here to there. Each fitting causes turbulence which causes a loss of flow, hence the pressure drop.
I recommend that if you are thinking of re-plumbing something to use Pex pipe. Its easy to work with and its tougher than anything else you can use. Crud doesn't build up in it over time like metal pipe will and if it freezes it doesn't burst. At the ends where you have to have a fitting I use the hand tighten plastic fittings and have yet to have a problem with them. Been using Pex pipe for 20 years now without a problem one and its good to work with.

change with to which