Agree about the pressure regulator, makes a huge difference long-term. Have you checked if your house has galvanized pipes anywhere? Those are notorious for rusting from the inside out, and vinegar soaks won't do much good there. Had a client once who tried everything—fixtures, regulators, you name it—and it turned out the main culprit was old galvanized piping in the basement. Swapped it out for PEX (budget-friendly and pretty eco-safe too), and problem solved.
Also, have you looked at your shut-off valves lately? Sometimes they can partially close or get clogged with debris, causing weird pressure fluctuations. Might be worth a quick check before diving into bigger projects.
Good points on checking valves—I overlooked that initially. On a related note, has anyone experienced noticeable pressure drops after installing a whole-house water filter? I'm debating adding one, but concerned it might cause more issues than it solves...
Installed a whole-house filter last year and did notice a slight drop in pressure, especially upstairs. Wasn't terrible, but enough to be noticeable when showering. Ended up swapping to a larger capacity filter cartridge, and that pretty much solved it. Just something to keep in mind—filter size and type can make a big difference.
"Ended up swapping to a larger capacity filter cartridge, and that pretty much solved it."
Glad you mentioned this—it's surprising how often the filter cartridge size gets overlooked. Out of curiosity, did you happen to check your home's water pressure before installing the filter? Sometimes folks assume their pressure is good based on feel alone, but I've seen homes with borderline pressure where even a minor drop from a filter makes showers frustratingly weak.
Also, another thing I always recommend checking is the pipe diameter feeding into the house. Older homes sometimes have narrower pipes, and adding even a decent-sized filter can amplify pressure issues upstairs. If your plumbing is older or undersized, even upgrading to a larger cartridge might only be masking an underlying issue.
Funny story—had one homeowner who installed a fancy whole-house system himself and couldn't figure out why his upstairs shower suddenly felt like standing under a watering can. After some head-scratching and troubleshooting, we realized he'd accidentally installed the filter housing backwards...yeah, that'll do it every time. 😂
Anyway, glad you got yours sorted by swapping filters. Did you go with one of those pleated cartridges or stick with carbon? I've found the pleated ones tend to have less resistance overall, but they do need changing more often. Always trade-offs with these things...
Good call on upsizing the cartridge, that's usually the easiest fix. I didn't even think about checking pipe diameter when I had similar issues...might explain why mine's still kinda meh upstairs. Guess I'll be crawling under the house this weekend, haha.
