Shawn Nelson PlumbingSpringtown, Texas
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Plumbing tips · November 11, 2026

Strong water pressure that is quietly wearing out the house

Water pressure that is too high rarely looks like a problem. It shows up as toilets that keep refilling, faucets that drip, hoses that split and a water heater relief valve that weeps.

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The signs

Toilet fill valves that hiss or run on their own, faucets that drip soon after new washers, a washing machine or dishwasher hose that bursts, pipes that bang when a valve shuts off, and a water heater relief valve that drips. Any one of these can have other causes. Several at once points to pressure.

Test it with a gauge

A water pressure gauge threads onto an outside faucet. With nothing running inside, turn the faucet on and read it. Check it again late at night, when the neighbourhood is using less water and the pressure from the street is at its highest.

What the number means

Most houses run well around 40 to 60 psi. Plumbing code caps the pressure in a house at 80 psi; above that a pressure reducing valve is required. If the gauge climbs well past 80, or creeps up while nothing is running, the pressure needs bringing down.

The fix

A pressure reducing valve on the main line, near where the water comes into the house, sets the pressure for everything after it. If the house already has one, it may have worn out, since they do not last forever. With one in place, the water heater usually needs an expansion tank as well.

Questions we get asked

My pressure feels great. Why lower it?Because everything with a valve or a rubber seal in it, from toilet fill valves to appliance hoses to the water heater, wears out faster at high pressure. A house at 60 psi still feels strong at the tap.
Why does the gauge read higher at night?Less water is being used on the street at night, so more of the supply pressure reaches the house. That is the reading that matters, because it is what the plumbing has to hold.
Why would a pressure reducing valve need an expansion tank?Water expands as the water heater warms it. Without a pressure reducing valve that extra pressure can push back toward the street. With one, it has nowhere to go, and an expansion tank gives it room.

Plumbing questions we answer

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Where we go

Parker, Wise and Tarrant County, out of the shop in Springtown. Springtown, Weatherford, Azle, Boyd, Decatur, Newark, Millsap, Fort Worth and the country in between.

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