My pressure at the street is solid, but inside it’s like a sad drizzle, especially upstairs.
Man, I know that “sad drizzle” feeling—like trying to shower under a leaky garden hose. I swapped to PEX last year after chasing clogs and rust stains forever. Water quality was way better almost overnight, no more orange tint or weird metallic taste. I did about half myself (the crawlspace stuff), but called in a pro for the walls. Drywall patching is not my superpower either… if you’re nervous, maybe do the easy runs and leave the tricky bits to someone who actually owns a trowel.
LOW SHOWER PRESSURE: DOES THAT BOOSTER PUMP REALLY WORK?
I swapped to PEX last year after chasing clogs and rust stains forever. Water quality was way better almost overnight, no more orange tint or weird metallic taste.
I get what you mean about the old pipes. When we moved in, the inspector warned us about “galvanized surprises,” but I didn’t realize how bad it was until I tried to run two showers at once—barely a trickle upstairs. Ended up replacing a bunch of lines with PEX too, but honestly, the pressure still wasn’t great on the second floor.
Tried a booster pump after that. Wasn’t cheap, but it made a noticeable difference. Not firehose-level or anything, but at least you don’t have to pick between showering and running the dishwasher anymore. The install was pretty straightforward since my basement’s unfinished—just had to make sure the check valve was in right (learned that one the hard way...).
If your street pressure is solid, like you said, a booster might be worth it before tearing out more walls. Just double-check your main shutoff and any old valves—sometimes those are half-clogged and killing your flow too. I replaced mine and got a little bump even before the pump went in.
Drywall patching is definitely not my thing either. My “repairs” look like someone lost a fight with a bag of spackle. If you can avoid opening up more than you have to, do it.
Long story short: booster pump helped here, but fixing old valves and pipes first made a bigger difference than I expected. If your water’s clean now, maybe try that route before going full renovation mode.
LOW SHOWER PRESSURE: DOES THAT BOOSTER PUMP REALLY WORK?
You nailed it with checking the old valves—people forget about those all the time. I had one main shutoff that looked fine from the outside but was basically a rust plug inside. Swapping that out gave me a noticeable bump before I even touched anything else.
One thing I’d add: if you’re still getting weird pressure drops, peek at your pressure regulator (if you’ve got one). Mine was set way low from the previous owner, probably to keep the ancient pipes from bursting. Bumping it up a bit (within safe limits) made a difference, but obviously don’t crank it or you’ll risk leaks.
Booster pumps are great if your street pressure is decent but just not making it upstairs. If your incoming pressure is already low, though, they can only do so much. And yeah, installing one in an unfinished basement is a breeze compared to fishing lines through finished walls—been there, done that, never again if I can help it.
Honestly, sometimes it’s just a combo of little fixes that finally gets things working right.
“Booster pumps are great if your street pressure is decent but just not making it upstairs. If your incoming pressure is already low, though, they can only do so much.”
- Couldn’t agree more—booster pumps aren’t magic wands. If you’re starting with a trickle, you’ll just get a slightly faster trickle.
- Always double-check for leaks before and after installing anything. Found out the hard way that a “minor” drip can tank your pressure.
- Don’t forget to check aerators and shower heads for mineral buildup. Sometimes it’s just gunk, not plumbing.
- And yeah, finished walls? Nightmare fuel. I’ll take an unfinished basement any day... less drywall dust in my coffee.
- Totally agree on checking for leaks—had a slow one behind a wall once, and it wrecked my pressure (plus, hello water waste).
- If you’re thinking about a booster, make sure your pipes are in good shape first. Old corroded lines can undo any gains.
- I’m always wary of adding more hardware if the root problem’s not fixed. Sometimes just cleaning out the shower head does wonders... less gear, less energy use, less hassle.
