Water and drain service
Low water pressure: causes and fixes in NYC homes and buildings
A weak shower, a washing machine that takes forever to fill, a top floor with no pressure at all. We measure, find the cause and fix it in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan.
Causes of low water pressure we fix
The first step is a gauge on a hose bib. The number tells us where to look.
Failed pressure-reducing valve (PRV)
The valve where the main enters the house wears out and either chokes the flow or lets pressure climb. Replaced in an hour.
Galvanized pipe rusted shut
Old steel pipe narrows from the inside until a pencil fits through it. Sectional or whole-house repiping restores flow.
Partly closed or failed main shutoff
A valve that was never fully reopened, or a gate valve whose gate has dropped.
Low pressure on upper floors
In taller buildings, city pressure runs out around the fifth or sixth floor. A booster pump or a repaired roof tank system is the fix.
Single-fixture low flow
Clogged aerator, cartridge, showerhead or supply stop; the rest of the house is fine.
Pressure too high
Over 80 psi damages fixtures and causes relief valves to drip. A PRV and expansion tank bring it into range.
What the pressure gauge tells us
NYC street pressure varies by neighborhood and elevation; most houses should read between 40 and 80 psi at a hose bib. Under 40 with the city supply normal points to the PRV, the main shutoff or the service line. Normal at the hose bib but weak inside points to the house piping, usually galvanized steel. Normal everywhere except one fixture points to that fixture. Good pressure that collapses when a second tap opens is a flow problem, not a pressure problem, and that is almost always narrowed pipe.
In buildings, pressure on the upper floors depends on booster pumps or a rooftop tank. A failing pump, a stuck float in the tank, or a clogged riser shows up as complaints from the top floors first. We service all three.
Quick checks before you call
- Is it one fixture or the whole house?
- Hot only, cold only, or both?
- Did it start suddenly or get worse over years?
- Is the main shutoff fully open?
- Do neighbors have the same problem? (city supply)
- Any recent work on the water main in the street?
Low water pressure repair by borough
Same-day and scheduled service in every neighborhood we serve.
Brooklyn
ZIP codes 11201–11256
- Williamsburg
- Greenpoint
- DUMBO
- Brooklyn Heights
- Cobble Hill
- Carroll Gardens
- Red Hook
- Park Slope
Queens
ZIP codes 11004–11697
- Astoria
- Long Island City
- Sunnyside
- Woodside
- Jackson Heights
- Elmhurst
- Corona
- Flushing
Staten Island
ZIP codes 10301–10314
- St. George
- Tompkinsville
- Stapleton
- New Brighton
- West Brighton
- Port Richmond
- Westerleigh
- Clifton
Manhattan
ZIP codes 10001–10282
- Financial District
- Battery Park City
- Tribeca
- SoHo
- Chinatown
- Lower East Side
- East Village
- Greenwich Village
Questions
What is normal water pressure for a house in NYC?
Roughly 40 to 80 psi at a hose bib. Below 40 is low; above 80 is high and should be reduced with a pressure-reducing valve.
Why is my water pressure low only on the top floor?
City pressure drops with height. Buildings above about five or six stories rely on booster pumps or a rooftop tank; when those fail or a riser clogs, the top floors lose pressure first.
Why is my hot water pressure lower than cold?
Usually sediment in the water heater, a clogged dip tube or heat trap, or a partly closed valve at the heater. Sometimes the hot piping is older than the cold.
Can low pressure be fixed without repiping?
Often, if the cause is the PRV, a valve or a single fixture. If the gauge is normal and the house still starves when two fixtures run, the piping is the cause and repiping is the fix.
Related: Repiping · Expansion tanks · Faucet repair