Had a similar issue last summer—pressure kept dropping randomly, mostly late at night. Thought it was city maintenance too, but turns out our main valve was partially clogged. Took forever to figure out because neighbors weren't having problems. Definitely smart to check around first, but don't rule out internal issues completely... city tinkering isn't always the culprit. Learned that one the hard way.
Yeah, ran into something similar a couple years back. Pressure kept dipping randomly, mostly evenings. Thought it was city work too, but turned out to be sediment buildup in the water heater tank. Took ages to pinpoint because everything else seemed fine. Definitely worth checking internal stuff like valves, aerators, or even your water heater... sometimes it's the small things you overlook that cause the biggest headaches. Learned to check inside first before blaming the city every time, haha.
Good point about checking internal stuff first, but honestly, sediment buildup usually affects hot water flow more noticeably than overall pressure. If you're seeing dips in both hot and cold, I'd lean more toward a pressure regulator issue or even a partially blocked main line. Had a client last year who swore it was sediment, flushed the heater twice, no luck. Turned out their pressure regulator valve was failing intermittently—super frustrating to diagnose because it wasn't consistent. So yeah, internal checks are smart, but don't rule out external factors completely. Sometimes the city's actually at fault, or your regulator's just giving up the ghost... seen it happen plenty of times.
"Sometimes the city's actually at fault, or your regulator's just giving up the ghost... seen it happen plenty of times."
Yeah, totally agree with this. Had a similar issue at one of my properties last summer—tenants kept complaining about inconsistent water pressure. Checked all the usual suspects first (sediment, fixtures, etc.), but it ended up being the city's main line. Apparently, they were doing some maintenance nearby and hadn't notified anyone. Took a few calls to city hall before they admitted it was on their end.
Also worth mentioning: if your place has older galvanized pipes, corrosion buildup can cause weird pressure fluctuations too. Had that happen in an older duplex I manage—ended up replacing sections of pipe to finally stabilize things. Just something else to keep in mind if you're dealing with older plumbing...
"if your place has older galvanized pipes, corrosion buildup can cause weird pressure fluctuations too."
Yeah, this is spot-on. When I bought my place, the inspector warned me about galvanized pipes, but I figured it wasn't a big deal... until the shower started randomly turning into a sad drizzle mid-shampoo. Ended up replacing a chunk of piping, and it made a huge difference. Definitely worth checking out if your home's on the older side—city issues aside, those pipes can be sneaky troublemakers.