Weak pressure of cold or hot water in the apartment - how to adjust: recommendations. The water pressure has dropped: where to go?

Home/Water supply and sanitation/Weak water pressure

Every resident of multi-storey buildings has probably encountered the problem of insufficient pressure in pipes. In a situation where water flows from the faucet in a thin stream, it is impossible not only to take a shower, but also to start washing machines and dishwashers. How to deal with the problem of low water pressure in an apartment and not overpay public utilities for dishonestly provided water supply services?

What should be the water pressure in the apartment?

Currently, federal legislation does not establish uniform standards for water pressure in apartments and private houses. Each specific region, and sometimes locality, has its own indicators. When calculating the standard for water supply to an apartment, the following parameters must be taken into account:

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• number of floors in the building;
• height of the house;
• number of apartments;
• total number of registered residents;
• residence floor;
• time of day, etc.

Attention
The pressure in the pipelines is calculated individually for each specific apartment. Residents themselves are accustomed to assessing this indicator as “bad” or “good”, depending on whether the water pressure satisfies their needs or not. On average, the pressure in the pipes should be about two atmospheres. However, apartment owners often fail to defend their rights even with frankly weak water pressure, since pressure measurements are carried out using a special measuring device.

Options for increasing pressure in residential water supply

The following measures will help raise the pressure in the apartment:

• laying new pipes of larger diameter instead of old ones. This will increase the amount of water supplied. The fluid velocity in large diameter pipes decreases, which leads to an increase in pressure;
• switch from valves to lever shut-off devices in mixers with a large passage diameter.

In addition to the measures listed, regular prevention will help prevent the formation of deposits on the internal walls of pipes and their failure.

Normative base

The parameters for water supply to apartments and private houses are determined by the relevant legislative standards and SNiPs. Knowledge of the regulatory framework is necessary for proper installation of internal wiring and connection of plumbing and various household appliances. If the owner of a living space has serious complaints regarding the pressure in the pipeline, he should definitely familiarize himself with the requirements of SNiP.

According to SNiP 2.04.02-84, for every ten meters of water delivery height, a pressure of 1 bar must be provided in the pipe. The same document states that the height of one floor of an apartment building in calculations should be taken as 4 meters. Thus, knowing the initial data, you can calculate the required water pressure for any floor in just a few minutes.

In addition, SNiP provides a minimum pressure standard for each type of plumbing:

• For a bath with mixers - 0.3 atmospheres;
• Toilet with flush cistern - 0.2 atmospheres;
• Shower cabins - 0.3 atmospheres;
• Sink with mixer – 0.2 atmospheres.

IMPORTANT
The maximum water pressure in the apartment should not exceed 6 atmospheres, however, during repair and construction work this figure can reach 10 atmospheres.

The provisions of Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2011 No. 354 establish pressure parameters separately for hot and cold water:

• for cold water – from 0.03 to 0.6 MPa;
• for hot water – from 0.03 to 0.45 MPa.

In addition, according to this document, water pressure measurements should be carried out at the water collection point in the morning from 7.00 to 9.00 or in the evening from 19.00 to 22.00.

Knowledge of these fundamental documents will allow apartment owners to conduct more specific and subject-specific negotiations with the management company in the event of low pressure in apartment buildings.

Possible reasons for low water pressure in the apartment

Before filing a claim with the utility service, you should understand the reasons for the low water pressure in the apartments. Sometimes the problem lies not in the actions of utility workers, but in the shortcomings of the living space.

As practice shows, the following reasons can cause serious problems with the supply of hot and cold water:

1. Insufficient pressure in the central main system.
2. Formation of blockage in the common house pipeline or in the pipes of the apartment.
3. Mixer malfunctions.

Attention
The reasons for low pressure of hot and cold water in an apartment may be different.

In each specific case, you should first find out the circumstances surrounding the occurrence of low water pressure in the apartment. This can be done by contacting the utility service or management company at your place of residence. As a rule, when carrying out urgent or planned repairs, utility workers warn residents, notifying them of possible problems and the timing of their elimination.

How to detect a problem?

Start troubleshooting by calling the appropriate services . This will allow you to determine if there are problems with the line. If they are not there, then you should move on:

1. Talk to the residents of the house to see if they have similar difficulties. If low pressure also worries other people, then immediately contact the service. Sometimes this happens during a serious accident on the highway.
2. Talk to the neighbors in the riser. Malfunctions may occur among individual residents of the house who are connected to a single riser. In the case of a new building, you should contact the developer. It is likely that the riser is not designed correctly.
3. If the previous methods did not give a positive result and the malfunction is isolated, then the problem lies in the apartment. If the installation is incorrect, the pipeline will have to be redesigned.

The simplest is a clogged faucet. In this case, you will have to clean it or completely replace it. The drain can also be cleaned. This stage is very important, since further actions will depend on it. Some repair work requires considerable material and time investments.

The video explains what to do if there is poor water pressure in the apartment and how to find the cause:

How to independently increase water pressure in an apartment?

There are several ways to independently eliminate the problem of low water pressure in an apartment. The choice of one method or another depends solely on the reason for the poor delivery:

• If the problem lies in the mixer, you can try to repair it or replace it with a new one.
• If the water pressure has decreased due to a clogged aerator, you should clean it with a needle and blow it out.
• The replacement of pipes should be entrusted to specialists; the apartment owner is only required to purchase all the necessary materials. It is recommended to replace the risers entirely, since due to the large number of joints the pressure may also drop.
• Problems with low pressure on the upper floors of an apartment building can be solved using a special pump.
• If the pressure in the pipeline is insufficient due to errors in the connection diagram of plumbing and appliances, then only a specialist can find the problem and fix it.

Preventive measures

To prevent the problem of insufficient water pressure from arising, it is necessary to apply preventive measures.

A good practice would be to install pressure gauges along the entire length of the pipeline - near the pipeline entrance to the house, near branches and near consumer appliances.

This will allow you to promptly detect a decrease in pressure and quickly find out the cause of the problem. Also, filters should be regularly checked for contamination and, if necessary, cleaned.

Where to go if there is low water pressure in the apartment?

If the pressure in the tap is weak, you should wait a few days. If the situation does not improve, then you should file a complaint with the management company responsible for supplying water to the apartment. When contacting the Criminal Code, the sequence of actions will be as follows:

1. An application is sent to the management company to measure low water pressure in the apartment.
2. Within 10 days, a specialist with special measuring instruments must come from the management company to measure the pressure in the pipeline.
3. If a deviation from the standards is detected, the management company must identify the cause of the problem and eliminate it within a month from the date of filing the application.

Attention
If the management company is in no hurry to fulfill its obligations and delays in resolving the issue, residents should not give up and look for effective ways to influence the management company.

In the bath

It happens that low pressure in the tap is observed only in the bathroom, although there is no such problem in the kitchen. In this case, there may be several reasons:

• a malfunction of the faucet in the bathroom, which requires its replacement;
• clogged cartridges in the faucet;
• clogged old pipes. It is better to replace unsuitable structures with polypropylene pipes;
• The pipe in the neighboring apartment is clogged, so the liquid does not reach the required volume.

These causes can be eliminated independently. However, if you need to replace pipes, you need to use the services of a plumber. This is due to the fact that the specialist has all the necessary equipment and skills in this field .

When and where can I file a complaint?

Experienced lawyers recommend submitting all complaints to the Management Company exclusively in writing. The claim for low water pressure in the apartment should be made in two copies, one should be submitted to the management company, and the second with the incoming mark should be kept. According to Federal Law No. 59, written applications from citizens are considered by officials within thirty days from the date of their submission to the organization.

For your information

If after a month the problem with low water pressure has not been solved and a response to the application has not been provided, the apartment owner has several options on how to proceed. First, you can go to court. In most cases, this step is a last resort. Litigation can cost the plaintiff a pretty penny and take a lot of time and effort. However, sometimes there is no other way out, since only through the court can you demand that the management company fulfill its obligations or get a refund for poor-quality services provided. Secondly, you can write a complaint to the state housing inspection, which supervises the activities of public utilities.

Step-by-step instructions for filing a complaint about low water pressure in an apartment

If you are faced with the problem of low pressure of hot or cold water in your apartment, you should not let the situation take its course and wait for it to resolve itself. First of all, you should go around to your neighbors and find out how they are dealing with the pressure issue. As practice shows, collective complaints have a much greater effect than individual complaints.

The procedure for writing a complaint to the Management Company is as follows:

1. Submitting a written application to measure pressure in the pipeline. Within ten days from the date of filing the application, a specialist must come to the address specified in the application and measure the low water pressure in the system.
2. After receiving the measurement results, the management company must investigate the cause of the problem and eliminate it within 30 days.
3. If all the deadlines have passed, and the water pressure is still depressing and significantly reduces the quality of life in your own apartment, you should act more decisively and proceed to writing a complaint.
4. The complaint is submitted to the head of the management company, who must, within 30 days, satisfy it or refuse to satisfy it.

Sample complaint about low water pressure in the apartment.

In both cases, the response to the complaint must be provided to the apartment owner in writing. If this does not happen or the complainant does not agree with the content of the response, he has the right to contact the prosecutor's office with a complaint about the actions or inactions of officials of the management company.

When filing a complaint about low water pressure in an apartment to the management company, you must also provide:

• a copy of the claimant's passport;
• a copy of ownership documents;
• documents on pressure measurements in the pipeline.

Attention,
the housing department does not have the right to demand the provision of additional documents from the citizen filing the complaint. If public utilities refuse to accept a complaint about low water pressure in an apartment, citing various reasons, you should request a written refusal from the head of the management company. This refusal can be addressed to the prosecutor's office, court or state housing inspection.

Possible consequences of the complaint

The consequences of a complaint may vary depending on where it is filed.

Based on the results of the consideration of the complaint, the management company must eliminate the problem of low water pressure as soon as possible and recalculate utility bills at the request of the apartment owner.

If a complaint about the actions or inactions of utility workers was filed with the prosecutor’s office, then you can count on the management of the management company being fined. In addition, the prosecutor will issue an order to the housing department to eliminate the problem within a specific time frame.

When filing a complaint with the state housing inspectorate, you will also have to wait for a response within thirty days. As practice shows, in most cases, inspection specialists side with apartment owners. The supervisory authority can also punish utility workers with a ruble, issue an order, or apply more stringent measures, after which the housing department will no longer be able to provide services to the population.

Nuances

Low water pressure in an apartment is always unpleasant. However, you should not rush to conclusions and blame utility companies for all your troubles. First of all, you should identify the cause of the problem and try to fix it yourself. The water pressure in the system may weaken for objective reasons. In particular, in the evening, a decrease in pressure is very often observed on the top floors of apartment buildings. Unfortunately, you can only protect yourself from such a situation with the help of special pumping equipment.

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Is it possible to do everything yourself?

In some cases, you can deal with the problem yourself. First of all, this concerns problems that are hidden in the system inside an apartment or house, especially a clogged or faulty faucet. You can easily eliminate such defects with your own hands. At the same time, it is worth considering options for possible modernization of the water supply system. Thus, some faucets, due to their design, automatically increase the water pressure.

If you have not encountered such problems before, it is better to seek help from a specialist. This will prevent new problems from occurring. This is especially true for servicing complex equipment. Modern companies offer an extensive list of services and solve any problem.