Why Is It Important To Have Your Home Water Pressure Tested?
- By: Amer ZaghloulehUncategorizedComment: 0
It’s common knowledge with Anytime Plumbing experts and throughout the plumbing industry in general that excessively high-water pressure can damage appliances and pipes as well as their connections. Furthermore, it wastes massive amounts of water and is the primary reason why you should check for high water pressure in your system. While this is a key component where preventative plumbing maintenance is concerned, it is oftentimes overlooked despite how easy it is to check. With a simple pressure gauge purchased from a home center, you can check this without calling a Santa Cruz plumber.
Why should you test your water pressure on a regular basis?
The staff at Anytime Plumbing know how irritating low water pressure can be, especially when you’re trying to take a shower, wash your laundry, or wash dishes and you only get a trickle of water coming through your plumbing. Yet while many people think that high water pressure is a good thing, the opposite is true. Just as high blood pressure is harmful to the human body, high water pressure can be harmful to different appliances and the pipes running through your home.
Consequently, most people only consider having their water pressure tested if it’s too low. Just remember, when it comes to high water pressure, too much of a good thing is can often be bad. Overall, high water pressure can be extremely harmful to your:
- appliances
- faucets
- pipe connections
- water heater
- water softener
- your plumbing system in general
High water pressure that is neglected or overlooked for too long will most likely have negative consequences such as blown out flex lines or washer hoses. If this break or burst, your home could easily be flooded and cost you tens of thousands of dollars to repair. If you want to avoid that type of disaster, have one of the Anytime Plumbing experts come out to your home and explain why you should check for high water pressure on a regular basis. Our plumbers are trained, experienced and skilled on a wide range of plumbing needs.
Do you need a professional to check your water pressure?
No you don’t. But that’s entirely up to you. Having one of our professionals do the test will surely give you peace of mind, but you can save money by doing it yourself. All you need is an easy-to-use, inexpensive pressure gauge that you find at any hardware department (or retailer) or one of the large home improvement centers such as Home Depot or Lowe’s. Make sure the pressure gauge you purchase has female hose threading, has a rubber gasket, and can measure up to 300 psi.
The majority of the plumbing fixture manufacturers out there recommend using their products with a maximum water pressure of 80 psi. Water pressure that’s consistently higher than 80 psi can cause faucets, shut-off valves, toilets, and water heaters to fail prematurely. When your water pressure is too high, it causes unwanted stress to the entire plumbing system in your home. Most individuals often fail to realize why you should check for high water pressure until they have a serious plumbing emergency and have to call Anytime Plumbing to fix it. We’ll send out an experienced plumber as quickly as possible as we operate 24/7 for all emergencies. Thus, you will have an expert to remedy the situation fast.
If high water pressure is going unnoticed or is neglected, what type of harm will it cause to your plumbing system?
As mentioned above, neglecting high water pressure or not knowing that it’s a problem can result in a number of plumbing problems, some of which can be extremely costly to fix. If it goes uncorrected for too long, high water pressure can lead to any of the following problems:
- decreased lifespan of dishwashers and water heaters
- extensive pipe joint damage
- increased monthly utility bills due to an increase in the amount of water to be heated
- older water heaters can explode
- plumbing leaks
Additionally, it’s important to learn the warning signs of high-water pressure. This will ensure that you can notice it well in advance and call in the experts. Thus, if you’ve noticed any of the issues below, you should probably contact us to check your water pressure and recommend a solution to the problem:
- banging pipes
- faucet spits when turning it on
- leaky faucets
- shortened lifespan of dishwasher or washing machine
- shortened water heater lifespan
- toilets constantly running
If you have questions about it, we’d be glad to answer them. For additional information regarding why you should check for high water pressure or to schedule a water pressure test in your home, contact Anytime Plumbing today. Don’t wait for an emergency to happen, call us now.
