Can High Water Pressure Damage Your Home’s Plumbing System?
Moderate and steady water pressure is the best! While washing dishes with high water pressure is great, too much pressure can be destructive – often causing plumbing problems and raising your water bills.
Read on for details:
How To Check For High Water Pressure
Just looking at how fast the water flows out of a tap will tell you if the pressure’s too high–turn on the tap and observe the speed at which the water flows. If it’s higher than usual, it could mean there’s something wrong with your plumbing that’s causing this high pressure. Often, a banging noise in the pipes indicates abnormally high water pressure–something we call a water hammer.
If you’re still unsure, we recommend getting a pressure gauge and screwing it near the water meter – you can also mount it onto the hose outlet. Pressure readings are usually known to fluctuate throughout the day. We recommend taking multiple readings and averaging out the data.
High water pressure is particularly a concern for old plumbing systems that can’t withstand pressure above 80 psi. If your plumbing system is old and the water pressure exceeds these limits, you have a problem that needs to be fixed ASAP.
Let’s see what happens if the water pressure goes too high:
Water Wastage
When the water pressure is too high, the excess beings to drip out of the fixtures. If you see your toilet seat, shower or faucet is dribbling water–it’s a clear case of high water pressure. If the issue remains unaddressed, the drip will waste a lot of water. This isn’t good for your water bill, and it’s downright wasteful to let it drip away.
For perspective, 15,000 drips of water can waste up to 1 gallon of water. 4,000 drips could amount to as much as one liter of wasted water.
Pipe Damage
High water pressure can also damage the water pipes–often eroding the pipes and creating pinhole leaks across the plumbing system. These leaks could lead to electrical problems like short circuits or blown fuses since your electrical systems crisscross across electrical wiring.
Sudden pressure spikes can also cause pipes to burst open– this is especially likely if the pipes are old, rusted, and worn-out. Rust buildup is more common among old galvanized pipes. To address the issue, you can get these replaced with copper pipes.
If you’re looking for a plumbing repair service in Fort Worth TX, Pro Serve Plumbing is your best bet! We are offering a holistic range of residential and commercial plumbing services.
