High Water Pressure
Does my house have good water pressure?
Excessive water pressure is a silent, ever-present threat to many of our homes.
The Council supplies reticulated water to our water meters. Water pressure can fluctuate during the day. The Council does not guarantee that the water pressure that they supply will be within accepted norms and if the water pressure is too high that’s your problem not theirs. It is the home owner’s responsibility to moderate the water pressure on their property.
ASNZ Standards assume that water pressure is no more than 500kPa. I regularly find homes with pressure 100kPa-200kPa or more over this.
What happens if the water pressure is too high?
High water pressure can stress your pipework, connections, tapware, and appliances. Read those appliance manuals – if you operate appliances with water pressure over 500kPa your warranty will be void.
Similarly, if a pipe bursts due to excessive water pressure your insurance may not cover you.
Don’t be complacent about water pressure. Too often people confuse high water pressure with high water flow. Yet, it is quite possible to have a low water flow but high water pressure. Next time your plumber visits get them to check your water pressure and be sure to act on the readings you get.
There may be telltales – taps may fail earlier than they should, pipes could spring small leaks - be alert to these signals.
The simple solution to this threat is to add a pressure limiting valve (PLV). These are normally at the end of the water main and they will protect your house and appliances.
When you get plumbing work done only deal with fully licensed qualified plumbers like the team at SEAL Plumbing and Gas Service.