Proper water flowing into our home’s sinks is an incredibly important thing to have, especially in our kitchens. To be able to cook quickly and efficiently, we need to be able to have ready access to utensils and ingredients.
Water, of course, is one of the most important things we need in the kitchen for both cooking and cleaning. But when the kitchen faucet water pressure is low, it can often cause cooking meals and the rest of the day to slow down drastically.
If you’ve only just gotten a new home or are experiencing low water pressure in your kitchen for the first time, it can often seem to be quite overwhelming. Finding out the cause can be just as confusing, especially if it seems that only the kitchen is being affected.
Fortunately, we’re here to help! We’ve put together some of the most common problems and causes of low water pressure and what you can do to fix them.
If you feel that the issue is too much to fix by yourself at any time or you think the issue is caused by something in an area you can’t reach, don’t be afraid to call our team at Diamondback Plumbing!
Faulty or Malfunctioning Faucets
One of the main reasons why you might find low pressure in your kitchen faucet is due to the faucet itself being faulty or malfunctioning. This is the most likely cause if none of your pipes are leaking or blocked, and if none of the other faucets seem to have the same issues.
To make sure this is the cause of the low water pressure, take apart the entire faucet and check the individual parts for any damage. If the smaller parts are fine, replace the faucet with a new one.
A Clogged Aerator Part
When checking your faucet for any faulty or malfunctioning parts, it’s important to also check the aerator for any issues. If you aren’t sure what an aerator is, you might be happy to know that it’s simply the name of the screen at the end of the faucet’s spout. All the water your kitchen is supplied with is run through the end of the spout and the aerator, making it quite an important piece.
However, the fact that it’s the last thing the water comes into contact with often makes it one of the most likely places a problem can happen. The aerator acts as the last filter the water runs through, cleaning out any lingering minerals or other sediments that might be in the water. This naturally means that with enough time, the sediments can build up and form a clog. In turn, this leads to a decrease in your kitchen faucet’s water pressure.
Leaking Pipes in Your Home
If nothing about your kitchen’s faucet seems to be clogged or faulty, the next step is to check the pipes themselves. More often than it can seem at first, sudden low pressure kitchen taps can easily be caused by something like a crack in the pipe. This leak also often can lead to a limited supply of water, depending on how your home’s water is sourced – via well or not.
The main problem with leaking pipes is twofold, however. The first is the fact that a leaky pipe affects your entire home and not just the kitchen’s faucet.
Fortunately, noticing it for the first time in the kitchen means that you’ve also caught the problem early on, allowing you to find and fix the leak before it can cause any severe or unrepairable structural damage.
Unfortunately, cracks and leaks in a pipe can happen practically anywhere in your home’s plumbing system. You might be fortunate enough that the leak is somewhere easily accessible, in which case, you just might be able to fix the problem yourself and fix why your kitchen faucet has low pressure.
But, if the pipes you have access to are all intact and areas of your lawn seem to be far more soaked, you will need to call a plumbing company like our team at Diamondback.
How to Fix These Causes of Low Pressure in Kitchen Faucet Fixtures
In many of these cases, the solution can be incredibly easy for homeowners like yourself to fix. With the right tools and knowledge, you just might be able to create an affordable solution to the loss of water pressure in your kitchen. However, it’s important to know when to call a professional, especially when you can’t seem to find what’s causing the problem.
How to Deal With a Faulty Faucet
As mentioned before, the best way to fix a faulty faucet is to replace the entire unit itself. Typically, this is best done after checking to make sure that the aerator and any other small and detachable parts are working as intended. If they are, and all the pipes in your plumbing are intact, you might need to buy a new faucet if cleaning all the parts of it doesn’t solve why your kitchen faucet’s water pressure is low.
Cleaning Out a Clogged Aerator
Fortunately, much like the problem itself, cleaning out a clogged aerator is incredibly easy to do. Simply disassemble the faucet and take out the part, or unscrew the aerator from the rest before cleaning it out. You can also soak the aerator in a vinegar water solution to ensure that it’s properly cleaned out, but just using a cleaning brush or an old toothbrush works just as well!
Fixing Leaky Pipes
If you find the leaky pipe is somewhere you can easily reach and fix, the solution is as simple as repairing the crack with waterproof tape or sealant, or entirely replacing the section of pipe. When replacing the pipe, make sure to turn the water off first and drain the pipe out before using a large enough wrench.
However, if the cause of the leak is in the walls or buried under the foundation, the best option is to call a professional to figure out a solution to why your kitchen faucet’s water pressure is low.
Takeaway
There are many possible reasons why you might find low pressure in your kitchen faucet, some of which are quite easy to fix without many tools. In the chance that the issue is something much larger or that you can’t find the cause, calling our team at Diamondback Plumbing is the best next step.