Low Water Pressure Calculator
Do I have High or Low Water Pressure?
As we said previously, low water pressure can be a sign of a water leak, especially if it is very low, much lower than normal at your property or worse in a particular part of your house, but…
How do I know my Water Pressure?
Generally, in standard water pipes, the higher the pressure, the faster water flows. Put simply, you can fill a vessel (jug, pan or glass) quicker with higher water pressure. You can measure this with a water flow meter but, as most people are unlikely to have those, this is simpler.
We have come up with a quick and simple way to measure your water pressure, in terms of litres per minute, in just a few steps. You will just need a measuring jug (or something that you know the capacity of in litres or millilitres) and a stopwatch – the one on your mobile phone will do. Then…
- Step 1 – Get a measuring jug that you know the scale of (ours is 2 litres)
- Step 2 – Turn Your Tap on to Full Flow
- Step 3 – Fill your jug up to a measure level and time how long it takes
- Step 4 – Enter the details into our water pressure calculator below!
Do I have Low Water Pressure?
Using the number shown above, check on our water pressure scale:
We tested this ourselves and our 2 litre jug filled in 9.58 seconds, which means that our water flow is 12.53 litres per second (about average). It is worth knowing what your regular water pressure flow is so that you have something to compare to. Remember, water pressure will vary from place to place, house to house and room to room.
What is Normal Water Pressure?
Water Pressure is, strictly speaking, measured in Bar or PSI (pounds per square inch) but practically speaking, when most people refer to pressure they are actually referring to how fast the flow of water is in their home. They turn on the tap, see it is running slowly and associate it with low pressure, which can be caused by a water leak.
Typically, water pressure flow in domestic houses is 10 to 15 litres a minute, but if it is slightly above or below that, it might not mean that you have very low water pressure in your house or area. But clearly, the question might be…
Do I have a Water Leak?
If your pressure is below 10 litres per minute that doesn’t alone mean that you have a water leak. Clearly, if it is very low water pressure and much lower than normal (especially if it just affects a specific place in your house) then the chances are higher. However, we’d recommend checking for other signs of a water leak.
Something that is also worth knowing is that, in some instances, people have low water pressure because, unknowingly to them, their stop tap is partly closed so be aware of that possibility too.
What about High Water Pressure in my House?
Normally when it comes to water leaks, falling or low water pressure is more commonly mentioned but what about high water pressure? Well although high water pressure would not normally be a sign of a water leak, it can but more strain on the plumbing in your house which can in turn lead to a plumbing water leak. However, this is not particularly common and when it is, it often just prematurely exposes a weakness in your water system. The high pressure can expedite the leak.
You can get pressure reducing valves if high water pressure is of concern to you.
There are other ways of measuring water pressure, these can give a more accurate reading of water pressure in Pounds per Square Inch (PSI). Typically this is done by a…
Water Pressure Gauge
There are various types of water pressure gauge but domestic ones typically attach to your water tap (making sure all other taps are off), you then turn the tap on and it measures your water pressure, much like a tyre pressure gauge measures air pressure in your tyres to see if you have low pressure.
You might find these other tools useful in getting help with your water leak, this includes our water volume calculator to see how much water something holds, such as swimming pools, ponds, aquariums and water tanks. We also have a useful Boiler Pressure Loss Calculator and a recent water use calculator UK.
On that, we also have an interesting page about pressure relief valves in the UK. We also have a great guide to the best way to find water pipes.
How do you calculate water pressure?
Water pressure, not to be confused with water flow, can be calculated with water pressure meters which attach on to your properties plumbing and usually have an analogue or digital display measuring your high or low water pressure in bar or PSI (or both). Other devices which use water may have their own integral water pressure gauge, such as those seen on your central heating boiler.
How do you fix low water pressure?
In order to fix low water pressure, the key thing is to understand why your pressure is low, which can be a number of factors, including water leaks (especially if you have noticed a drop). It can be useful to speak to neighbouring properties too to discuss and see if they have low pressure, or seen a drop to low water pressure.