Thursday nite we come home and theres little to no water pressure. pressure is ok(not like normal) in the basement and fades as you go up stairs. took the washing machine about 30 mins to fill a small load. if the washing machine is going, there is no water pressure in the 2nd floor shower or bathroom sink. my uncle is a plumber and thinks the galvanized(sp?) piping is beginning to close up, especially at the 90 degree angles. he wants to replace the piping with pecs/pex piping? im really just looking for any ideas. I trust him but at the same time, if I replace this piping and thats not the problem, Im going to be pissed. Oh, and the water bill is paid lol. it just seems wierd that all of a sudden on thursday the pressure goes to shit. it didnt happen gradually. I may try replacing the main run of piping first from the front of the house to the hot water tank and see if that works.
yea piping being closed up with build up wouldnt be an overnight thing…see any water trucks on your street or ask your neighbors…i wouldnt doubt a water main broke underground somewhere and they havent found it yet…
does this happen when u try to use just cold water…or only when u try to mix hot and cold…
I called the water authority and they had no issues in my area. Im on vacation this week in GA but I will ask a few neighbors when I get back. Im praying that when I get back all is better. Low pressue on both hot and cold.
Talk to the neighbors first, then check your main water line. Worse case turn off the water to the entire house, drain the system then put a pressure gauge on the main line to ensure your problem is inside your house and not out in the yard.
It’s very possible that some corrosion broke free and clogged the line. I have seen pipes restricted down to a slow drip. You can try cleaning out the aerator on the faucet and clean up the stems/cartridges in the handles. There should be valves on the hot and cold lines feeding the second floor.
Pex is the fast, cheap and easy way out - nothing wrong with it especially if you need to fish the new supply lines up to the second floor in a wall. I prefer copper because it has a larger I.D. and flows better, but it sounds like anything is better than where you are now lol
P.S. if the galvanized isn’t your problem yet, it will be someday.
Do you have a regulator on your main line near your meter? See if that got bumped.
Galvanized lines will close up over time but usually only when you have “low-use” lines. Such as hose hook-ups that get used 10 times a year or a basement sink that gets used once or twice a year. This is due to the moisture/deposits in the line not being moved and settling. If it is a frequently used line usually the iron deposits will wash out and eventually clog the aerators (As mentenioned above).
As far as replacement lines, I would not invest in all new piping unless you intend on being there for a while. Using PEX is a preference/cost to alot of people. I will never use it as I like hard line and I don’t mind spending the extra $$$$ on copper.
If you do have some clogged pipes I would fix only the problem areas. I mean why replace a transmission, driveshaft, and axle if only the U-joint breaks? Sort of the same concept. Vertical lines and sloped pipes should be fine. Low spots and bends will clog.
As far as the “It will someday”…Yeah. Personally, I would fix it when it breaks unless you feel you really should do it now.
do you have any galvanized to copper connections? those might also be a good place to look for a clog…
if it happened suddenly i would suspect that a chunk of crud from inside the galvanized broke loose and got caught on another chunk of crud farther down the line somewhere before line splits to the hot water tank since you say both are experiencing low pressure…
Check with the neighbors. Here in West Seneca, they turn the water off a few times a year to do work on the water system.
Usually they do it at like 2 in the morning when volume is low anyways.
thanks everyone. I will first check with neighbors. after that I think I will replace the galvanized with pex. as the galvanized is only in the basement from the street to the hot water tank and basement sinks. I do have copper lines going up to the first and second floors. we had very bad water pressure once before and a water main broke down the street. As far as I know, this is not the case this time as I check with the water authority both thursday nite and friday morning. we also do not have a water meter.
How do you not have a water meter? Do you get free water? If so I’d bottle and sell that shit! Just replace that galv line with copper pex sucks.
not all houses in buffalo are metered YET. I keep saying im going to open a car wash.
seriously there is not a water meter? that is just nuts…
i agree with the earlier post though… if you are going to replace it and its just a short amount do copper… particularly in a basement where it will likely be exposed and it is typically good practice to not mix and match as much as you can…
no meter. pay a flat rate
double post
i also dont have a meter in buffalo 
house and pipes are to old, i pay a flat rate
just got back home and still have low water pressure. I will take some pics tomorrow of how bad the galvanized piping is. it needs to be replaced ASAP
dont use Pex for your shower. the plastic holds in bacteria and such and the shower head causes aeration. couple that with open pores and you have a recipe for illness.
Good to know. I have copper running up stairs. I only plan to replace the galvanized. I have to see how much I need to replace and then I will look at the difference in cost (copper vs pex)