Why Is My Water Pressure Suddenly Low

Common Causes

• A clogged aerator or showerhead. Mineral buildup narrows the opening over time, the single most common cause of low pressure at one fixture.
• Corroded galvanized pipes. Common in New Haven's older housing stock, the inside of the pipe narrows with rust and scale over decades, cutting pressure house-wide.
• A failing pressure regulator. If your home has one and it's going bad, pressure can drop suddenly and uniformly at every fixture.
• A partially closed shutoff valve. Easy to overlook after any recent plumbing work, and it affects everything downstream of it.
• A hidden leak. Water escaping somewhere in the supply line reduces the pressure available everywhere else.

Whole-House vs. Single-Fixture

• Single fixture: Check the aerator or showerhead first, unscrew it and look for mineral buildup. It's almost always the cause when only one tap is affected.
• Whole house: Points to the main line, the pressure regulator, or a partially closed valve somewhere upstream of every fixture in the home.

When to Call a Plumber

• A cleaned aerator or showerhead doesn't fix it. That rules out the simple cause and points further upstream.
• Pressure dropped house-wide with no clear explanation. That's worth a proper diagnosis rather than guessing, especially if it happened suddenly.

Quick Answers