Video: Addressing Water Pressure Issues

RICHMOND — Host, Sarah Rutan: If your home’s plumbing fixtures are constantly running or dripping, this may be the result of a water pressure issue. To learn more, we’re in Richmond with Vincent Esquivel of Superior Plumbing & Drain Cleaning Services, speaking on behalf of Diamond Certified Expert Contributor Ricardo Lopez.

Vincent Esquivel: If you’re constantly having faucets that are dripping, and shower valves that are dripping, toilets that are constantly running, you may want to check the pressure in the front of your home.

We recommend that the pressure be between 60 and 80 psi. If it’s over 80 psi, we recommend a pressure regulator to regulate that pressure right where it needs to be, so that you can have faucets that are working correctly, showers that aren’t dripping. A pressure regulator is something that regulates the water. You can adjust the pressure to keep it, you know, right where you need it, between 60 and 80 psi. A lot of times, people live on hills. The Water Department pumps that water up the hill, and you end up with extremely high pressure. It could be 100 psi, it could be 120.

A regulator’s going to lower that water pressure – put you right where you need to be. It’s usually located in front of the home, right where the main shut-off valve is, coming into the house. So, you may want to look to see if you have one. Sometimes they need adjustment. But if you don’t have one, I highly recommend that you install a regulator. Have one installed and you can also purchase a gauge and hook it up to the hose bib, where the garden hose goes. Once you put the gauge there, it’ll tell you exactly what kind of pressure you have, and then you can take it from there whether you need a pressure regulator or not.

Host, Sarah Rutan: To learn more from local, top rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified Expert Reports at experts.diamondcertified.org.