Is it low pressure or low flow?

People use the words loosely, and either is fine in an enquiry. Strictly, pressure is the force pushing water through the pipes and flow is how much comes out of the tap. A tap can have decent pressure and still run slowly if something narrows the pipe, such as scale, a half-closed valve or a partly blocked filter.

What matters is what you notice: which taps are weak, whether it is the hot, the cold or both, and whether it has always been like this or changed recently.

Is it just my home?

Before calling anyone, find out how far the problem goes.

Run the kitchen cold tap, which in most homes comes straight from the mains
Ask a neighbour whether their water is also weak or off
Look at your water company's website for notices of work or bursts in your area

When neighbours are hit too, the water company is the one to call. When it is only you, look on your own side of the boundary first.

Could a leak be to blame?

Yes. A leak on the supply pipe, especially underground, can rob a house of pressure without showing anywhere. If you have a meter, turn everything off, write down the figures and check again an hour later. Any rise points to water leaving the pipes.

Damp ground along the route of the pipe, or a pavement stop tap that is always wet, are other clues.

Is the stopcock fully open?

After a repair or a house move, the stopcock is sometimes left partly closed. Turn it anticlockwise gently until it stops. Do not force one that is stiff. Isolating valves under sinks and on toilets can also be left half shut.

Why are my upstairs taps weaker?

Many older homes have a cold water tank in the loft that feeds the bathroom taps, the toilets and a hot water cylinder by gravity. The pressure depends on how high the tank sits above the outlet, so a shower on the top floor has very little push. A float valve that sticks, or a tank that is furred up, makes it worse.

A plumber can check the tank and valves and talk through options, such as a shower pump or a change to a mains-fed system. Under the water fittings rules, your water company has to hear in advance about any pump that would take more than 12 litres per minute from the supply.

What about combination boilers and unvented cylinders?

Both rely on the mains, so they are only as good as the supply reaching the house. If the incoming pipe is narrow or old, a combination boiler may struggle to run two outlets at once.

Changing from a loft tank to an unvented cylinder is building work that must be notified under Part G of the Building Regulations, and it needs a competent installer. Gas work on the boiler is only for an engineer on the Gas Safe Register.

Who looks after which pipe?

Generally, the water company is responsible for the pipe up to your boundary and you for the supply pipe from there into the house. In some older streets several homes share one supply pipe, and a fault on it can affect all of them. Some homes built before about 1970 may still have a lead supply pipe, and your water company can advise on what it does about lead.

What if the water is cloudy, brown or off?

Cloudy water that clears from the bottom up in a glass is usually just air. Brown or discoloured water, or no water at all, is something to report to your water company first, since the cause is often in the main.

What should I include in the enquiry?

the postcode, which settles whether a plumber can be found
which taps or showers are weak, and on the hot side, the cold side or both
when you first noticed it, and whether it came on suddenly
whether neighbours have the same problem
what kind of system you have: combination boiler, cylinder and loft tank, or unvented cylinder
anything you have already checked, such as the stopcock or the meter

Who you will hear from

We pass your enquiry to one local plumber, if one covers your postcode. It is never sent to a list of companies. If nobody covers your postcode, we will tell you and will not pass your details on.