I've found that aiming for around 50-60 psi usually hits that sweet spot. But honestly, every house has its quirks...I once set mine perfectly, then realized the upstairs shower still felt like a drizzle. Had to bump it up slightly—trial and error wins again.
Yeah, 50-60 psi is usually decent, but I've seen some weird stuff. Had a client once whose downstairs faucets were perfect at around 55 psi, but upstairs was barely usable. Turned out the pipes running upstairs had some old buildup restricting flow—pressure alone wasn't the issue. After flushing the lines and swapping out a couple of ancient valves, things improved dramatically. So sometimes it's not just about tweaking pressure... gotta check those pipes too.
Yeah, good point about the pipes. Pressure gauges only tell part of the story—ever checked if there's galvanized piping hidden somewhere in the system? I've seen older homes where someone replaced most of the plumbing but left a random stretch of galvanized pipe tucked away behind drywall. Those sections can rust and clog up over time, causing weird pressure drops upstairs or at distant fixtures. Might be worth poking around to see if that's your culprit...
"I've seen older homes where someone replaced most of the plumbing but left a random stretch of galvanized pipe tucked away behind drywall."
This reminds me of a rental property I had a few years back. Tenants kept complaining about weak water pressure upstairs, especially in the shower. I checked all the usual suspects—pressure regulator, aerators, even swapped out showerheads—but nothing really fixed it. Finally, during a bathroom remodel, we tore open a wall and found exactly what you're describing: a sneaky little stretch of galvanized pipe that someone had left behind. It was almost completely clogged with rust and sediment. Once we replaced that section, the difference was night and day.
Makes me wonder how many places have these hidden sections lurking around unnoticed. Have you noticed if the pressure drop is consistent or does it fluctuate randomly? Sometimes that can give you a clue if it's corrosion buildup or something else entirely...
Ran into a similar issue at my parents' house. They kept complaining about inconsistent water pressure in the kitchen sink—sometimes decent, sometimes barely a trickle. Like you, we checked all the basics, replaced the faucet cartridge, cleaned aerators...nothing helped. Eventually, we opened up the ceiling below and sure enough:
"a sneaky little stretch of galvanized pipe that someone had left behind."
It was crusted shut with rust and gunk. Swapped it out for copper, and haven't heard complaints since. Seems like these hidden galvanized sections are more common than you'd think...
