Looking at my exposed ceiling in the basement, I see two copper pipes coming out of the water heater, one marked in blue (assuming cold) and one in red (hot). These each split between supplying the upstairs and downstairs.After the split, there are galvanized steel pipes. I get great water pressure downstairs in the utility sink and clothes washer.Upstairs, pressure to the dishwasher, kitchen sink, and bathroom shower is terrible. It takes about 10 full seconds to fill a pint of water in the kitchen. You can imagine how long it takes to get a sink full of soapy water.Showers are annoying too with lack of pressure. I'm thinking I'll bring a plumber in to replace the piping to the upstairs. With a very amateur eye, I see about 10-15 total feet that'd need replacing.Is replacing it the answer? Or might there be something that could be locally repaired?Any estimates on cost for this?
if the pipes are in good working order than i wouldnt bother replacing them. the problem is the water pressure is not good enought to push the water up at an increased speed. you will need to instal a water pump to increase water pressure, these arent very expensive look between ?100 to ?200 for a decent one, then say 4 hours of plumbers labour costs at roughlt ?80-?100. the pump will need an electrical feed so the parts for that and electricians labour costs. be careful though as higher water pressure may bring out leeks that u didnt know were there as older pipes sometimes cnt stand the new high pressure.
I would first check the aerators and shower head for debris and clean as necessary. Next, I'd look for any valves that aren't open all the way. And that might be as far as a non-plumber can go. Re-piping costs would be based on difficulty of replacement - time is money. And there are better choices than PVC (you probably meant CPVC) like PEX or copper, depending on where you are and local water quality.
