Homeowner guide
Why your water pressure is low
The first useful question is whether it is one fixture or the whole house. That single distinction separates a five-minute fix from a conversation about repiping.
- One fixture vs. the whole house
- What you can fix yourself
- When it means the pipe itself
- Hard water is often the culprit
The short version
Start here
Work down the list. Most situations are answered in the first two rows.
One fixture only
Almost always a clogged aerator or a worn cartridge. Hard water here clogs aerators constantly — unscrew and rinse it first.
Usually easy
One bathroom
Often a partially closed shutoff, a failing shower cartridge, or a section of scaled pipe serving that branch.
Localized
Whole house, sudden
A pressure regulator that failed, a partially closed main valve, or a problem on the municipal side. Ask a neighbor.
Check first
Whole house, gradually worse
Galvanized supply scaling inward over years. This does not improve, and no fixture repair brings it back.
The pipe
Whole house, with a high bill
Losing pressure and gaining bill at the same time usually means water is escaping between the meter and your fixtures.
Suspect a leak
General guidance for Hays-area homes. Every house is different — call if you are unsure.
Detail
The common causes, in the order we check them
Clogged aerators
The screen at the tip of the faucet. In Ellis County water these mineral up fast, and rinsing one solves a surprising number of calls.
Worn cartridges
Inside the faucet or shower valve. They wear, and the symptom is reduced or uneven flow at that fixture only.
Pressure regulator failure
Most homes have one where the service line enters. When it fails it usually fails low, and the whole house drops at once.
Partially closed valves
A main shutoff or a meter valve not fully open. It sounds too simple to be the answer, and sometimes it is the answer.
Galvanized scaling
Old steel supply pipe rusts inward until the opening is a fraction of its original diameter. Gradual, whole-house, and permanent short of repiping.
A hidden leak
Water leaving the system before it reaches your tap. Look for a jump in the bill or a green patch in the yard.
The honest answer
When it means repiping
Nobody wants this answer, so here is the specific evidence that points to it.
If pressure has declined gradually over years rather than dropping suddenly, affects the entire house rather than one fixture, and the home has original galvanized supply pipe, the pipe is the problem. Galvanized scales inward from the day it is installed, and by fifty or sixty years the interior diameter can be a fraction of what it started as. Cleaning fixtures will not help, and replacing the regulator will not help. The honest answer at that point is a repipe — and if you are also seeing rusty water in the morning or repeat pinhole leaks, that confirms it.
Common questions
What homeowners ask us
Why is my water pressure low in only one faucet?
Almost always a clogged aerator or a worn cartridge. Unscrew the aerator and rinse the screen — with water this hard, that fixes it more often than not.
Why did my whole house lose pressure suddenly?
Most often a failed pressure regulator or a partially closed main valve. Check with a neighbor to rule out a municipal issue first.
Can low pressure mean a leak?
Yes. If pressure is down and the water bill is up, water is likely escaping before it reaches your fixtures. A meter test will confirm it.
Does hard water cause low pressure?
Indirectly, yes. Mineral buildup clogs aerators and cartridges, and over decades scaling narrows the inside of older pipe.
Will a new water heater fix low hot water pressure?
Only if the heater is the problem. Low pressure on the hot side alone often points to sediment in the tank or a scaled outlet, which is worth checking first.
Free estimate
Get a real number for your home
Ranges are useful for planning. For an actual price, tell us what you have and we will give you a firm number.
Related: repiping, leak detection, hard water, faucet installation, signs you need a plumber
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