Who to Call for Low Water Pressure in Your House: Plumber, Utility or Leak Detection

Low water pressure is a plumbing question until the moment it is not. Most of the time the cause is a part: a clogged aerator, a pressure regulator that has failed, a half-closed valve or old galvanized pipe narrowing from the inside. A plumber fixes all of those. But a sudden drop across the whole house, with nothing changed and the water meter still turning when every tap is off, usually means the water is going somewhere you cannot see, and that is the one case where a second call matters.

Check These Four Things Before You Call Anyone

These take about fifteen minutes and tell you which trade you need.

1. 1Find out whether it is one fixture or the whole house. Run the kitchen tap, a bathroom tap and an outside spigot. Weak at one fixture only points to that fixture: unscrew the aerator or showerhead and rinse the grit out. Weak everywhere points to the supply.
2. 2Check the main shutoff and the meter valve are fully open. After any plumbing work or a meter swap, a valve left partly closed is the most common cause of a whole-house drop. Open the main fully (counterclockwise until it stops).
3. 3Ask a neighbor or check the utility. If the street is low too, the problem is the water main or the utility, and they fix it. Many utilities post outages and main breaks online.
4. 4Read the water meter with every tap off. Write down the reading, use no water for an hour, and read it again. If the numbers moved, or the small leak dial is spinning, water is leaving the pipes somewhere between the meter and your fixtures.

Who Fixes What

A pressure-reducing valve (the bell-shaped fitting near where the main enters, in houses that have one) wears out after roughly a decade or two and can fail either way: too low, or too high. The model plumbing codes cap household static pressure at 80 psi, so a plumber will usually put a gauge on an outside spigot first. A gauge reading tells you more than any description over the phone.

When Low Pressure Means a Leak

A whole-house drop that arrived suddenly, together with a meter that moves when nothing is running, is how many slab leaks and buried-line breaks first show up. Other signs that point the same way: a warm spot on a tile floor, the sound of running water in a wall at night, a damp patch of yard in dry weather, a water bill noticeably higher than the same month last year.

If the meter test shows a leak, shut the main off between uses and call a plumber who does electronic leak detection. Our guides on slab leaks and hidden leaks behind walls cover what the detection visit looks like.

If Water Has Already Got Into the House

The plumber's job ends at the pipe. Wet subfloor, drywall, baseboards and cabinet bases are a separate job, because they have to be measured with a moisture meter and dried with equipment, not left to air out; drywall and wood that stay wet for a couple of days are where mold starts.

(888) 217-6781 is answered 24/7 and connects you to a plumbing company taking calls in your ZIP. Follow the short menu, enter your 5-digit ZIP, and stay on through about half a minute of quiet while it connects. If it does not connect, call once more: the companies taking calls change minute to minute.

Low Water Pressure FAQ

Can low water pressure be caused by a leak? Yes. A leak large enough to drop the pressure across the house is usually large enough to move the water meter with every tap closed, which is the quickest way to rule it in or out.

Should I call the city or a plumber for low water pressure? Call the utility if the neighbors have the same problem, and a plumber if they do not.

How much does it cost to fix low water pressure? It depends entirely on the cause: an aerator costs nothing to clean, while a pressure-reducing valve or a repiping job is a plumber's quote. Get the cause named before you accept a price.