Pump it up: Low water pressure blues

Q.  What can I do about the low water pressure in my bathroom and kitchen?

A:  If you live in an older building, your pipes may be choking on sediment or corrosion. They may need to be cleaned or replaced.  But that problem usually doesn't occur in multiple locations in the same apartment.

“If it’s all throughout your apartment, it could be a building problem, especially on the higher floors,” says Phil Kraus, the president of Fred Smith Plumbing & Heating Company, which services around 850 Manhattan co-op and condo buildings.  “You may need a booster pump to boost up the pressure.  It’s usually installed on the main line, and it can run from $3,000 - $50,000 depending on how big the building is and how complex a system you want.”

The plumbing expert lays out the A's to Z's of water pressure in an article in this month's Cooperator.

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