Water pressure repair
Water pressure is the one plumbing problem that quietly damages everything else. Too high and it hammers the pipes, drips the relief valve on the water heater and wears out every faucet and toilet fill valve in the house years early. Too low and showers are miserable and the washer takes forever to fill.
Most homes on county water have a pressure reducing valve where the line comes into the house, and most pressure problems are that valve having failed. We measure the pressure, check the valve and the expansion tank, and tell you what is going on before anything is replaced.
What we handle
- Pressure reducing valve replacement and adjustment
- Main shut-off valve replacement, including valves that no longer close
- Thermal expansion tanks on water heaters
- Stop valves, supply lines and hose bibs that leak or seize
- Backflow prevention devices where the utility requires them
- Low pressure diagnosis: failed valve, clogged aerators, or a restricted service line
Why high pressure is common around here
County water systems have to push water uphill to the far end of the district, so homes lower down the same line see high static pressure. Plumbing code caps house pressure at 80 psi and requires a reducing valve above that. Many of the subdivisions in Gwinnett and Walton were built with one, and after fifteen or twenty years it has often failed open, which puts full street pressure into the house without anyone noticing.
The signs
Banging or humming pipes when a faucet shuts. A water heater relief valve that drips. Toilets that run for no reason. Faucets and supply lines that fail early. If more than one of those sounds familiar, it is worth having the pressure measured, which takes a few minutes with a gauge on a hose bib.
Expansion tanks
Once a reducing valve is in place the house becomes a closed system, and water expanding as the heater warms it has nowhere to go. That is what the small tank next to the water heater is for. A missing or waterlogged expansion tank shortens the life of the heater and is one of the first things we check on any water heater call.
Lifetime Workmanship Warranty
Every job we complete is backed by a lifetime workmanship warranty. If our workmanship ever fails, we return and make it right at no charge. Any condition that limits or voids the warranty is explained to you upfront, before work begins.
The warranty is written on your invoice.
Where we work
Covering Gwinnett County, Atlanta and the metro Atlanta counties.
- Gwinnett County — Lawrenceville, Snellville, Duluth, Suwanee
- Walton County — Loganville, Monroe, Social Circle, Walnut Grove
- Barrow County — Winder, Auburn, Bethlehem, Statham
- DeKalb County — Decatur, Tucker, Stone Mountain, Dunwoody
- Fulton County — Atlanta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta
- Forsyth County — Cumming, Big Creek
- Cobb County — Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, Powder Springs
- Rockdale County — Conyers
- Newton County — Covington, Oxford, Mansfield
- Clarke County — Athens
Frequently Asked Questions
What should my water pressure be?
Between about 50 and 70 psi at a hose bib is comfortable. Code requires a reducing valve where static pressure exceeds 80 psi.
How long does a pressure reducing valve last?
Commonly ten to twenty years. They fail gradually, so the pressure creeps up over months rather than jumping overnight.
Can you fix low pressure in one part of the house?
Usually. Low pressure at a single fixture is normally a clogged aerator, cartridge or stop valve. Low pressure everywhere points at the reducing valve or the service line.