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Precision Pipes

Low water pressure? Work out where it’s dropping

Call 0406 711 214Book a plumber

No call-out fee · Usually same-day · 180+ five-star reviews

Step 1 — right now

Do this before you do anything else

This costs nothing and doesn’t need us. It’s the difference between a mop and an insurance claim.

  1. 1

    Check whether it’s one tap or all of them

    One tap means that tap or its flexible hose. Every tap in the house means the problem is upstream — the meter, the main, or a valve.

  2. 2

    Check hot and cold separately

    If only the hot side is weak, the fault is at or after the hot water unit — often a partly closed isolation valve or a scaled outlet, not the pipework.

  3. 3

    Unscrew the aerator on the worst tap

    The small mesh screen in the spout end. They fill with scale and grit, and this is genuinely the fix a surprising share of the time. Rinse it and screw it back on.

  4. 4

    Check the tap at the water meter is fully open

    A meter tap that has been left half-shut after work on the property throttles the whole house. Turn it anticlockwise as far as it goes.

  5. 5

    On tank water, check the pump and vessel first

    If you’re on acreage, pressure comes from your pump, not a main. A short-cycling pump or a waterlogged pressure vessel is the usual answer.

Step 2 — what it probably is

The usual causes, in plain English

  • Corroded galvanised supply pipe

    Very common in homes built before about 1980. The pipe closes up from the inside, so pressure fades over years rather than dropping suddenly.

  • A failing pressure-limiting valve

    Fitted at the meter on most modern homes and in apartment risers. They have a service life of around ten years and fail closed as often as open.

  • A partly closed valve, or a blocked aerator or filter

    The cheap end of the list, and worth eliminating before anyone quotes you for pipework.

  • A concealed leak upstream

    Losing pressure and losing water are the same problem when a supply line has failed underground.

Step 3 — what it costs

So you know before you ring

We eliminate the cheap causes first.

Diagnosis is the job here, and it goes in order of cost: aerators, valves and the meter tap before anything else. Where it does turn out to be pipework, the price depends on how much of the run needs replacing and how accessible it is — a partial repipe of the runs that actually matter is usually a fraction of doing the whole house, and we’ll show you why we’re recommending one over the other.

  • No call-out fee
  • Fixed price before we start
  • Lifetime labour warranty

Step 4 — get it fixed

Ring us, or we’ll ring you

Calling gets you an answer fastest. If you’d rather not wait on the phone, leave your details and we’ll call you back.

Call 0406 711 214

  • Lifetime labour warranty

    Every job we do is backed for as long as you own the property.

  • Fully licensed & insured

    NSW Licence NSW LICENCE PENDING. Compliance certificates on every job.

  • No call-out fee

    We don’t charge to turn up, and we don’t charge to quote.

  • Fixed price up front

    You approve the price before we start. It doesn’t move afterwards.

Book a plumber

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What people say

5.0 from 180+ Google reviews
  • “Excellent service, very friendly and went above and beyond to get what was needed done.”
    Google reviewReviewer name not published
  • “Great communication, Colin was professional, polite and friendly and did a magnificent job. Highly recommend for any plumbing needs.”
    Google reviewReviewer name not published

Still wondering

Common questions

A sudden drop across the whole house usually means a valve — the meter tap left partly closed, or a pressure-limiting valve that has failed. A gradual drop over years is more likely corroded galvanised pipe closing up from the inside. Sudden loss on the hot side only points at the hot water unit or its isolation valve.

Low pressure itself is mostly an inconvenience, but what causes it can matter. Instantaneous gas hot water units need a minimum flow to fire reliably, so low pressure can leave you with intermittent hot water, and a pump short-cycling against a waterlogged vessel will destroy itself given enough time.

Worth asking a neighbour before you book anyone. Genuine mains issues and planned works affect several properties at once and are Sydney Water’s to fix. If it’s just your place, it’s on your side of the meter.

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