What's causing the problem?
Follow our checklist to find the problem and get it sorted.
1. Check for planned works or incidents
Your low pressure might simply be caused by work going on in your area. If you haven't received a letter or card, there may be a problem near you, like a burst water main.
2. Check your taps
If low pressure is only affecting some of your taps, while others are flowing fine, the problem is with the plumbing in your home. To get it sorted, call a plumber or contact your landlord.
Search WaterSafe's list of qualified plumbers.
01156 472 850
3. Check your stop tap
If there's no work going on, have you checked your stop tap? Sometimes, when work is carried out, air or sediment can become trapped behind your internal stop tap.
Here's what you need to do:
- Turn on your main feed cold water tap (this is usually your kitchen tap).
- Turn your internal stop tap (usually under the kitchen sink, in the bathroom or in the cellar) off and on three or four times.
- Make sure your stop tap is fully open, then turn it back slightly to avoid seizing.
- You may find the water coughs and splutters a bit, but usually this brings back the water or increases the pressure.
Our how to video will show you how to do this:
4. Check for frozen pipes
If it's chilly out there, your pressure problem could be caused by a frozen pipe. These are easy to spot, just look for a coating of frost around the pipe.
5. Look for leaks
Low water pressure can be a sign you have a leak. Not only are leaks a nuisance, they could be costing you money.
6. Ask your neighbours
If your neighbours have been doing some plumbing work, they might have turned off the outside stop tap without knowing your supply would be affected.
If your neighbors water is flowing fine, your low pressure is caused by an internal plumbing problem. To get it sorted, call a plumber or contact your landlord.
Search WaterSafe's list of qualified plumbers.
01156 472 850
7. Test the flow
If you've checked everything else and your stop tap is fully open but you still have low pressure, please test the flow.
This is a guide only, many newer kitchen and bathroom taps are designed to provide a flow rate less than 9 l/min to help save water.
How to test the flow
- Find a measuring jug, pint glass or any container with volume measurements.
- Make sure all the taps in your home are turned off and no appliances which use water are running (washing machine, dishwasher, etc.).
- Find your main feed cold water tap (this is usually your kitchen tap) and turn it fully on.
- See how long your container to fill by using a timer or counting 'One Yorkshire, two Yorkshire, three Yorkshire, four Yorkshire...'
- Use the conversion guide below to work out the flow rate from your tap.
Flow conversion
9 litres in 1 minute = 1 litre Jug in 6.7 seconds, so if we round down a bit to make things easier…
- 1 litre jug in 6 seconds (10 l/min)
- 500ml jug 3 in seconds (10 l/min)
- Pint glass 568ml in 3 seconds (11.36 l/min)
If you're using a 1 litre jug and it doesn't fill in 6 seconds (3 seconds for 500ml), stop the tap at 6 seconds (3 seconds for 500ml) and read the volume of water collected using the measurements on the side of the jug. Times this number by 10 and you'll have your flow rate in litres/min ie. 0.7 litres x 10 = 7 litres/min.
Our aim is to provide a flow of 9 l/min or more at your main feed cold water tap. This is used as a guide to check the water we supply you is above the minimum standards we are required to meet at your property boundary. If you've done all the above checks and your supply is less than 9 l/min please get in touch.
No hot water?
Looking forward to a nice hot bath, but discovered you've got no hot water?
Here's what you need to check:
- Start by making sure your boiler is working correctly - check the power supply first. The pressure gauge should be at one bar.
- Check to see if the pump is running inside the boiler. It's easy to do, just feel the side of the boiler and you'll be able to tell if it's running or not.
- Check that the pilot light is on. You may need to relight it, in which case simply check your boiler manual for step-by-step instructions.
If you've done all this and you still don't have any hot water, you'll need to get a heating engineer to fix your boiler.
Need more help?
If none of these suggestions have worked and you still have no water or low pressure, give us a call and we can help you. If you need one of our technicians to visit you, we can make an appointment while you're on the call.
Who is responsible for carrying out any work?
Water pipe responsibility changes at the boundary where the street meets your property. This is usually at your garden gate. If sufficient water flow doesn't reach this boundary, we'll upgrade the pipes to make sure it does.
You are responsible for pipework between the boundary of the street and your home, stop taps on your property (either inside or outside) and all the plumbing in your home.
Find out more about who is responsible for your pipework.
If we can't help you over the phone, one of our technicians will pay you a visit to check water is flowing to your home. Where possible, we may also check the kitchen tap to see if the problem is in your home or outside the property. The technician will advise you on the next steps.
If the problem is inside your home, the maintenance is your responsibility. You may have plumbing and drainage cover, so you might want to contact your insurance provider before looking for a plumber.
Search WaterSafe's list of qualified plumbers.
01156 472 850
What else affects water pressure?
Water use
Your water pressure will reduce if you've multiple taps or appliances, like dishwashers and washing machines, running at the same time.
Size of pipes
If you live in an older house, you might have smaller pipes. Smaller pipes supply less water which reduces pressure and flow.
Time of day
We use water differently throughout the day. Your pressure might be lower in the mornings and evenings when people are having baths and showers.
Shared supply pipes
If your home is older, you might share a supply pipe with your neighbours (known as a common supply pipe). If this is the case, you might have low pressure when your neighbours use the supply.
You can learn more about this on our pipe responsibilty page.
Location
Our pumping stations create pressure to push water through the pipes. The further away from a pumping station you are, the lower your water pressure will be.