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Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing a problem with the water pressure at your property, whether it is lower than usual, higher than normal or fluctuating, there are a few things that you can check yourself before calling East Valley Water District.

Some of the questions you can ask yourself are:

Have you had any plumbing work done recently?
Is this happening in the house as well as out in the yard (with the sprinklers)?
Is this condition the same throughout the house, or isolated to just one area/fixture?
Is the problem the same with hot and cold water?

Answering these questions before calling the District will assist us to possibly isolate the problem(s). Listed below are some of the more frequent problems our customers have experienced:

The problem: Low water pressure in one area of the home.

Possible Cause: This condition could be caused by several things. 1) there may be a blockage of some sort. This blockage could consist of either a clogged aerator on the end of the faucet itself, the valve under the sink may have been shut off or turned down, or the flow of water in the pipe to that particular faucet has become physically blocked by something. Since this problem is located within the property’s private plumbing system (after the meter), and not cause by District equipment, it is the responsibility of the property owner to correct the situation.

The Problem: The water pressure throughout my house has decreased

Possible Cause: This condition could also be caused by a couple of things. The simplest cause would be that the main shut-off valve to the home was accidentally closed or partially closed by someone. This shut-off is generally located below the hose connection at the front of a home. Another possibility could be that your pressure regulator has stopped working. Any home that is located in the high pressure zone (above 80 psi) should, and probably does, have a pressure regulator on the service. In newer homes, contractors have already taken precautions for high-pressure and installed regulators at the time of construction. These regulators do occasionally go bad. When this happens, the regulator may shut down and allow little or no pressure (or water) into the house. Remember, pressure regulators are generally found below the front hose connection of your home. These regulators are relatively simple to replace by a plumber, or and can be purchased at any hardware store and replaced by you if you have the tools and skills.

The Problem: An increase in pressure

Possible Cause: Again, this is usually associated with pressure regulators and high-pressure zones. Pressure regulators are generally found below the front hose connection of your home. These regulators do occasionally go bad. When this happens, the regulator may open completely and allow the full system pressure into the house. Having pressure in the home that is greater than 80 psi could cause additional damage to plumbing and some fixtures and appliances, such as refrigerators with icemakers, washing machines and water heaters. Additionally, excess pressure could decrease the life of the washers and seals on faucets.

The Problem: A fluctuation in water pressure

Possible Cause: Fluctuation of water pressure is usually a sign of “peak” demand on the water system. There are generally two high demand times per day. One is in the morning when people are getting ready to go to work, and the other is in the afternoon or evening when people come home from work. At these times people are trying to shower, water lawns, wash clothes, etc. When all of these things happen at once, there is a large demand on the system.

The Problem: The constant sound of water running

Possible Cause: Running water in the home can mean one of two things. One of the fixtures (possibly a toilet or a valve) is not shutting off as it is supposed to. The float assembly in the toilet tank may need to be replaced because of a bad seal or a sticky float, or there may be a plumbing leak somewhere on the property, either under the home or within the sprinkler system. To check to see if there is a leak, simply shutoff all water fixtures in the home, then go out to the meter and see if the it is running. To isolate the sprinkler system, shutoff the main valve to the home (if sprinklers are connected prior to the shutoff valve) and again return to the meter and check to see if the meter is spinning. If you have turned off the water and the meter is still spinning, you probably have a leak or opening in your plumbing system. Homeowners are responsible for this problem.

If you need your service turned off for repairs, please call the District at (909) 889-9501 and we will send someone out to shutoff the service for you. Once a repair has been made, we will again send someone out to turn the service back on.

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