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September 21, 2009
Water Pressure Problem
I own a 3 story building with six apartments. The water pressure has never been great and know that I have a families living in the lower floor apartments, the water pressure is often so low that you can not take a shower in the third floor baths. I had my plumber check the pressure coming into the building and I am getting 40 lbs which he says is normal for Brooklyn. Any ideas on how to improve the pressure and get more water to the upper floor? I've heard that booster pumps exist - has anyone actually put one in?
Comments
There was a recent "Ask This Old House" episode about booster pumps. Maybe it's available online to check out.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at September 21, 2009 12:01 PM
i dont think the solution is as simple as installing a pump. where would you install it? did ur plumber test other areas in an attempt to find the bottleneck?
there are many reasons that can cause a pressure drop. a bad/closed valve, spagetti plumbing. large piping... you need to probe further :)
Posted by: zberlin at September 21, 2009 12:02 PM
I agree w/ zber - check plumbing before putting in pump.
Posted by: Arkady at September 21, 2009 12:18 PM
You need to install a pump and a bladder tank.
I mean for your building, not for you personally.
Posted by: Minard Lafever at September 21, 2009 1:06 PM
also.... the low water pressure is merely an effect. You need to find the cause. Performing trial and error repairs is wasteful and more often than not doesn't solve the underlying problem. Don't do anything until you know "EXACTLY" what the problem is.
Don't be a dog chasing his tail like everyone else.
Theodore
HUSH Construction
Posted by: zberlin at September 21, 2009 1:37 PM
I'd ask your neighbors how their pressure is. If they have low pressure too, call the city and complain. Nobody should have low pressure in a building less than seven stories, even without a pump.
If it's just your building, call some more plumbers to help find the problem because you must have a clogged or corroded pipe somewhere that needs to be changed.
Posted by: IronBalls at September 21, 2009 1:57 PM
Thanks for all your input. I am going to have the plumber check the pipes at a few other locations to see if there is a pressure drop due to mineral build up in the pipes. I did take a look at the video on Ask This Old House and it looks like installing the pump/pressure tank is a relatively simple process although I have no idea how much the pump costs.
Posted by: JoeBushwick at September 21, 2009 1:59 PM
I check approx. 150 buildings a month for sprinkler systems pressure. Albeit in Manhattan, from Union Square all the way down to below Wall Street and have never seen static pressure below 50 to 55 psi. Definitely would check with the neighbors.
Posted by: modsquad at September 21, 2009 2:05 PM
modsquad... I would think the pressure requirements for a sprinkler system are much much greater than potable water. Depending of course on the number pipe bends and sprinkler heads the system has. Sprinkler systems are designed to stream massive amounts of water when needed. I'm not a master plumber but logic dictates that.
Posted by: zberlin at September 21, 2009 3:56 PM
Low pressure could mean build-up inside the pipes under the street or leaks somewhere before the pipe reaches your house. Nothing you can do about that. If you have lowish street pressure get a pump and bladder tank, it will maintain your pressure high even during peak times. No biggie. The larger the building the more tanks you will need but if yours is a small building one tank should do it. They are about the size of a big hot water heater. it is absolutely no big deal. of course it will probably cost you 10 to 15 thou to install, but hey, that's owning an old house.
Posted by: Minard Lafever at September 21, 2009 4:42 PM
if you have mineral buildup in old galvanized piping , your money would be more wisely spent repiping all the local plumbing, since no amount of pressurizing will overcome the resistance of corroded plumbing
Posted by: eman1234 at September 21, 2009 6:56 PM
corroded pipes burst. If the pipes are bad, they will let you know.
Posted by: Minard Lafever at September 21, 2009 7:11 PM
I hate pumps.
All pumps need maintenance, make some noise, use electricity, cost a fortune, MUST be sized properly or they create far more problems than they solve....stuff like that.
Consider this:
It takes one pound of pressure to raise water 2.31 feet, or 27.72 inches.
If you've got 40psi coming in to the building, that should be enough to raise the water about 92 feet (40 x 2.31) with no pressure left at the crown.
But since your 3-story building is probably closer to 35 feet high to the top floor fixtures, you should lose about 15psi getting the water up there (35/2.31), leaving you with ~25 psi.
That's not great, but it should be enough that people don't complain.
If they're not getting enough water, then there is a problem with volume and not pressure.
So as others have suggested, that's usually an internal plumbing problem.
Water loses speed and flow rates diminish as it travels through long or compromised piping runs. Adding a pump might get you more water, but it is often a band aid which serves only to mask a greater problem.
I don't know how that helps you exactly, but it may be something to think about.
My advice is to have the water pressure tested at various points in the building simultaneously with water running at the top floor. The point where it turns bad might present itself that way.
Me:
http://www.GatewayPlumbing.com
Posted by: Master Plvmber at September 21, 2009 9:28 PM
zberlin, depending on the system, the delivery to the sprinkler heads might vary. Nevertheless the street pressure, the most important pressure is usually around 50 to 55. What determines the need for additional pressure is the height of the building. A sprinkler system can use that 55psi without any additional boost via roof tanks, pressure tanks, fire pumps etc. if the top of the system shows 25 psi.
Posted by: modsquad at September 21, 2009 10:39 PM
PS As Master Plvmber mentions above, volume is important also. Depending on the size of the sprinkler system the water main for that system might be as small as 4" or up to 12", still though the street pressure is only 50 to 55, at least in much of Manhattan.
Posted by: modsquad at September 21, 2009 10:44 PM
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