The water supply of a private house is organized according to the standard construction technology with the laying of pipes from the water intake source to the consumers. Regardless of whether it is autonomous or connected to a central water supply, over time there will be problems with a drop in water pressure. Solving them is not always easy, but possible.
Reasons for a drop in pressure in the water supply
There are actually few reasons. This mainly applies to the line, if it is laid from steel pipes. Often the pressure is reduced by fittings and plumbing fixtures.
The main reasons for the drop in water pressure in the water supply network:
- leaks in the water main;
- reduction of the inner diameter of the laid pipes;
- defects and flaws in mixers, taps or valves;
- clogging of filter elements;
- incorrect operation of the pumping unit, if the water supply system is an autonomous system;
- inconsistency of the water pressure in the central water supply system, if the water supply of a private house is made from it.
Before proceeding to the solution of the indicated problems, it is recommended to ask the neighbors what pressure they have in the tap. This must be done if the house is supplied with water from a centralized system. If the pressure is normal, the trouble is only in your home. If the problem has affected all the houses on the street, you need to contact the utilities.
Solution of problems
To raise the pressure (pressure) of water in the water supply system of private houses, it is not necessary to start with global repairs. There are some simple solutions.
- The coarse filter is being cleaned. Usually it is installed at the entrance of the pipe into the house. It is a mesh device that is easy to open. The mesh must be removed, cleaned of debris and rinsed with water.
- The fine filter is checked. It is a little more complicated here, because devices of this type are cartridge type. They have a certain service life, after which the cartridges must be replaced with new ones. The manufacturer indicates this parameter in the product passport. If the use of the water supply is high, or the water is supplied to a house with a high degree of pollution, the service life of the filters is drastically reduced. This must be taken into account.
- Checking the pump for correct operation. First of all, the mesh is checked, which closes the suction pipe of the device. It just needs to be cleaned. Additionally, you need to check the power of the pumping unit itself. To do this, it is disconnected from the pipe, lowered into a tank with water (it can be a barrel or a bath), the device is turned on and it is measured how much water it produces per unit of time. For example, how many seconds it takes to fill the bucket. Then you can calculate the performance of the pumping unit.
Leaks are the most difficult, because the piping located to the house is laid deep into the ground. Puddles will not form, but a damp spot on the line line may indicate a leak. There is only one way out - to get to the place of the defect and carry out repairs. If pipes begin to leak inside the house, this is detected quickly. The solution is the same as in the previous case.
It is possible to find out that plumbing fixtures are the reasons for the drop in pressure inside the water supply system in one simple way.Each mixer or valve is opened separately and it is determined in which of them the pressure does not correspond to the standard. If the pressure in all devices is weak, the problem is not in them, but in the water supply network.
Incorrectly selected pump
The pump is selected based on the performance of all consumers installed in the house and on the street: plumbing fixtures, a watering tap, a sink in the summer kitchen, an outdoor shower and other amenities related to water consumption. And if some consumer is not taken into account, the water pressure will not be enough for everything. Moreover, after the installation of the pump unit, additional plumbing fixtures were installed.
Low voltage in the supply network also causes the pump to malfunction. The unit simply ceases to produce standard technical characteristics. This problem can be solved by installing a step-up transformer.
Alteration of the water supply network
It is possible to increase the water pressure in private houses from a well or a well by reconstructing the water supply system. This process is complex and costly. But sometimes it is the only correct one. Often the reason for the drop in pressure is the inner diameter of the pipe, which does not correspond to the required one. The smaller the diameter, the less water it will pass through itself.
The second reason for the alteration is a large number of fittings: bends, tees, etc. It is recommended to redo the piping layout, simplifying it to a minimum. The main rule of communication networks is that they should be carried out in straight lines without a lot of turns, turns and other bends.
If the water supply of a private house is organized using an autonomous water supply system, both problems are solved by installing a more powerful pump. But here you have to be careful, because high pressure will cause a number of problems of a different kind. For example, pipe joints, some mixers and taps may not be able to withstand the increased load. Therefore, increasing the pressure in this way is not always acceptable.
Installing an additional pump
Another way to effectively increase the water pressure in private houses from the central water supply is to install an additional pump. These are small devices that cut into the pipe of the water supply network and connect to a regular outlet. Their installation is carried out between the coarse filter and the water meter or after the latter. Depending on the number of consumers, the head and capacity of the pump are selected.
Standard pressure parameters for a private house water supply system
There is a legislative act, namely SNiP 2.04.02-84, which clearly defines the parameters of the cold water pressure for multi-storey buildings. This indicator varies in the range of 0.3-6 bar. For private housing construction, there are no specific restrictions, therefore, these parameters are taken for this category of buildings.
More often, the water pressure in private houses is determined by calculation, where some ratios are laid as the basis. For example, taps and mixers turned on at the same time should not reduce the pressure inside the water supply. Therefore, when choosing a pump, it is necessary to add up the capacities of all consumers and add an additional 10%. This will be the pump capacity, which will provide the required head inside the system.
