Does a Decrease In Water Pressure Equal a Broken Water Main?

There are several reasons why a homeowner would have low water pressure, or experienced a recent reduction in water pressure.

The most common reason is if there is an increase of water usage in the house, this may mean additional bathrooms or additional people living in the house. The need for additional water may result in a reduction in volume/pressure to the top floors of the house.

Your connection to the city water main may not be of sufficient size. The valve that connects your pipe to the city pipe is known as the “tap connection”. The tap controls the amounts of volume and pressure from the city main, to your home. Your tap may be too small to feed the amounts of plumbing fixtures in your home.

You may have an old and corroded lead pipe, it is likely that the pipes have experienced the buildup of corrosion which will put a restriction on the water flow.

You may have a broken water line which may cause a reduction in water pressure however, a broken water main does not always mean that you will experience a loss of water pressure. It is very common for a water line to be cracked and not experience any loss in pressure. It is also possible that the water line has been broken for weeks, or months, and you may not be aware as there is not water surfacing. It is important to contact a licensed plumber to perform a noise test on the pipe which will determine whether you have a broken pipe or not.