Noticed my water pressure was acting kinda funny lately, like randomly dropping when I'm watering the lawn or running the dishwasher. Neighbor mentioned something about backflow valves needing regular checks... um, never really thought about that before. Has anyone else had this happen?
Had something similar happen last summer—pressure would randomly dip whenever we ran the sprinklers or showered upstairs. Turned out our backflow valve was partially clogged and needed a quick clean-out. Honestly, I didn't even know we had one until the plumber pointed it out, lol. Since then, I've made a habit of checking it once or twice a year... hasn't acted up since. Might be worth looking into yours just to rule it out.
- Could be the valve, but I'd also double-check your pressure regulator... ours was faulty right after moving in. Easy fix, but ignoring it can cause bigger plumbing headaches down the line. Better safe than sorry.
Could be the regulator, yeah, but I'll toss out another thing to think about—air trapped in the lines. A couple years back, we had this weird pulsing pressure issue; shower felt like it was breathing in and out, drove us nuts for weeks. Checked the regulator myself, thought I'd nailed it, but nope...turned out air pockets had built up after some city maintenance work down the street. Had to bleed the lines for a good 15 minutes before things settled down.
Funny thing was, before figuring it out, I had a plumber buddy come over, and he spent an hour scratching his head and swapping out valves. He was so sure it was something complicated. Then we finally thought to just open all the taps at once and let 'er rip—problem solved itself in no time. Felt kinda silly afterward, but hey, at least we didn't tear up half the house chasing ghosts.
Not saying this is your issue exactly, but sometimes it's the simpler stuff we overlook. Regulators definitely can go bad (been there too), but if you haven't yet, maybe open up all your faucets for a few minutes and see what happens. Either way, good luck...water issues can be a pain in the neck.
Yeah, air pockets can definitely mess with the pressure, good point there. Another thing worth checking—especially if you haven't maintained it in a while—is your backflow valve. If it's partially stuck or clogged, it'll randomly drop pressure when demand spikes (like with sprinklers or dishwasher cycles). I'd suggest shutting off the main, then carefully opening the valve housing to inspect for buildup or corrosion. Clean it out gently, reassemble, and test again. Might save you from chasing phantom issues.
