Low water pressure in a Norwalk home: what causes it

Start with the easy checks

Before anyone talks about new pipe, rule out the cheap causes:

• One faucet only: unscrew the aerator and rinse out the scale. Hard water clogs them.
• Hot side only: the problem is at the water heater or its shutoff valve.
• Whole house, came on suddenly: check that the main shutoff valve is fully open.
• Whole house, both hot and cold, got worse over years: that points to the pipe itself.

Galvanized pipe is the usual cause

Most Norwalk homes were built between the late 1940s and the mid 1960s and plumbed with galvanized steel. Galvanized rusts from the inside. The rust builds up on the pipe wall year after year until the opening is a fraction of what it was. The pipe looks fine from the outside while the inside is nearly closed.

That is why pressure drops when two fixtures run at once. There is not enough room left in the pipe for both.

Other signs the pipe is the problem

• Rusty or brown water for the first few seconds in the morning
• Pressure that is fine at the hose bib out front but poor inside
• Pinhole leaks or rust stains at the pipe threads
• Patches of newer copper spliced into old steel from past repairs

The pressure regulator

Some homes have a pressure regulator where the water line comes in. When one fails it can cut pressure to the whole house at once. It is a single part and a short job. If your pressure dropped all at once and the house has a regulator, this is the first thing to check.

When a repipe makes sense

If the house still has its original galvanized and the pressure has been falling for years, replacing a section only moves the problem down the line. A repipe replaces the supply lines with copper or PEX and brings the pressure back at every fixture. Most single-family homes take a few days, and you have water each evening.

If only part of the house is galvanized, a partial repipe can be the right call. Mickey will tell you which one you need, not which one costs more.

Find out for free

On a raised-foundation home, Mickey can go under the house and look at the pipe directly. The under-house inspection is free. You find out what the pipe is made of, how far gone it is, and what it would cost to fix, before you decide anything.