07852 780113
ChilternWater Services

Low pressure & upgrades

Low water pressure, fixed where it starts: the supply pipe.

A lot of houses round here have had bathrooms added, a combi boiler fitted and a family grow up in them, all fed by the same narrow pipe that went in when the house was built. The pipe in the ground is often what limits everything else.

We test the pressure and flow at the stop tap, work out whether the problem is the water company’s, the supply pipe’s or the plumbing inside, and if it is the supply pipe, replace it with one sized for how you actually use water now.

07852 780113Get a quote
5.033 Google reviews
A round pit with water at the bottom and a blue meter fitting connected on a black pipe

Finding the cause

Test it before anybody spends money

Low pressure can be a leak, a half-closed stop tap, a narrow old pipe or the water company’s main. A flow and pressure test at the stop tap tells us which, and saves you replacing the wrong thing.

  • Pressure and flow tested at the stop tap
  • Leaks ruled in or out
  • Stop taps checked and replaced
  • Supply pipe upsized where it is the bottleneck
  • Lead and old alkathene replaced
  • Honest advice if it is the water company’s side

Low pressure & upgrades

What causes low pressure

The usual suspects: an old 12 or 15mm lead pipe, a supply shared with neighbours, a leak bleeding off flow underground, or a stop tap that has furred up or was never fully opened. Sometimes it is the main in the road, and then it is the water company’s problem and we will tell you how to report it.

Copper pipework running along the foot of a wall inside a utility room, with a stop tap and an incoming supply

Low pressure & upgrades

Upgrading the supply

If the supply pipe is the bottleneck, we replace it with a larger bore MDPE pipe, usually by mole so the drive stays put. Planning an extension or a loft conversion with another bathroom? That is the best time to do it, before the new floors and patios go down.

New blue supply pipe rising out of a pit beside a rendered house wall, ready to enter the building

In full

Low pressure & upgrades covers

Homes and commercial properties across South Bucks and the Chilterns.

  • Pressure and flow testing
  • Low pressure diagnosis
  • Supply pipe upsizing
  • Stop tap replacement
  • Lead and alkathene replacement
  • Supplies upgraded ahead of extensions
  • Shared supplies split to improve flow

Reviews

What customers said

“Craig and team installed a new mains pipe for us, efficiently and professionally.”
Marcus J.Google review
“Superb service from a highly skilled and friendly staff. They made sure everything was perfect and were always available to answer any questions I had.”
Eqtedar S.Google review
“Highly recommended,. Friendly, helpful and professional. Really pleased with the work he did and would 100% use again.”
Stephen E.Google review

On site

Photographed on the job

Copper pipework running along the foot of a wall inside a utility room, with a stop tap and an incoming supply
New blue supply pipe rising out of a pit beside a rendered house wall, ready to enter the building
A round pit with water at the bottom and a blue meter fitting connected on a black pipe
New blue water pipe snaking along a trench through a gravel path, lined with membrane
A trench along a concrete path being compacted with a trench rammer before reinstatement
Looking down into a concrete meter chamber at new white fittings on a blue supply pipe

Questions

Low pressure & upgrades: common questions

Is low pressure my problem or the water company’s?

The water company has to supply a minimum pressure at the boundary. If it is fine there and poor at your tap, the cause is on your side. A test at the outside stop tap tells us which.

Will a bigger pipe definitely fix it?

Only if the pipe is the bottleneck. That is why we test before recommending anything.

Low pressure & upgrades near you

We also do

Leak detectionUnderground leaks found with tracer gas and listening kit, before anything gets dug.Water main repairsLeaking supply pipes dug out, repaired, pressure tested and put back. Most done in a day.Water main replacementOld, leaking or undersized supply pipes replaced with new MDPE, often in a single day.Lead pipe replacementOld lead supply pipes taken out of service and replaced with new MDPE pipe.MolingNew pipe pushed under drives, lawns and paths with no trench. Two small pits, no mess.Emergency repairsBurst supply pipes and flooding leaks. Ring, and we will get to you as fast as we can.New supplies & reroutingNew water supplies, shared supplies split, and pipes moved for extensions and new builds.

Next step

Get a price for low pressure & upgrades

Tell us what you are seeing and roughly where you are. Craig will come and look, and give you a clear price before anything is dug.

Send us the details

Tell us what you are seeing and roughly where you are. A photo of the meter or the wet patch can follow by email.

Or ring 07852 780113. Craig answers it himself.