"Silicone grease seems to hold up better in those wet environments, at least from my experience."
Yeah, silicone grease has been pretty reliable for me too, especially when dealing with moisture. I remember a few years back, I was trying to fix a stubborn outdoor faucet that kept losing pressure. Thought I'd be clever and grabbed some graphite powder from the garage—big mistake. After a couple rainy days, it turned into this weird gritty paste that just made things worse. Ended up having to clean it all out and start over with silicone grease, which worked like a charm.
I still keep graphite around for dry stuff—like squeaky hinges or locks—but if there's even a hint of dampness, silicone grease is the safer bet. Learned that one the hard way... and my wallet still hasn't forgiven me for the extra trip to the hardware store.
Silicone grease is usually solid, but it's not always a magic fix. I've seen it hold up great on outdoor faucets and valves, but if you've got serious pressure issues, it's probably not just about lubrication. Could be sediment buildup or even a worn-out washer causing trouble. Graphite powder though... yeah, that's asking for trouble around water. Been there, done that, regretted it immediately.
Yeah silicone grease is decent for maintenance, but if you're seeing ongoing pressure issues, it's usually something deeper. Had a similar situation—turned out the aerator screen was clogged with mineral deposits. Easy fix but took forever to figure out... always check the simple stuff first.
Silicone grease and aerator screens are good starting points, but honestly, ongoing pressure issues usually point toward something like a faulty pressure regulator or partially closed main valve. Had a customer once who kept greasing fittings and swapping aerators every few weeks, only to find out later the pressure regulator was slowly failing. Took a while to figure that one out—felt like chasing ghosts. Definitely agree it's worth checking simple stuff first, but if it keeps happening, might be time to look deeper into the plumbing setup itself... just my two cents from experience.
Had a similar issue at one of my properties a while back—tenant kept complaining about pressure dropping randomly, especially noticeable during showers. We did the same initial checks you're mentioning (aerators, grease fittings, etc.) but turned out to be something totally different: sediment buildup in the water heater. Ever considered flushing the tank? It seems unrelated at first, but sediment can really mess with overall flow and pressure consistency.
Also, have you checked if neighbors or nearby properties are experiencing similar issues? Sometimes municipal maintenance or supply line work nearby can cause weird fluctuations that come and go... drove me nuts until I asked around and realized it wasn't just our building.
Not disagreeing with the regulator idea though—definitely worth a deeper look if simpler fixes don't pan out. Just curious if you've explored these angles yet. Plumbing mysteries can be frustratingly sneaky...
