Plumber in Del Cerro, San Diego: Getting Water Pressure Right on a Hillside

Del Cerro means “of the hill,” and anyone who has driven its streets between Lake Murray, San Carlos and the College Area knows why. Courtesy Plumbing works on homes across the neighborhood, on weekdays from 8 in the morning to 5: water heaters, leaks, pressure regulators, repiping, fixtures and gas lines. Clogged drains are the one thing we pass along, to our partner Drain Mob. On a hillside, water pressure deserves a closer look than it gets. Too much of it wears out every valve and hose in the house. Too little makes a shower on the far end of the house barely usable. The good news is that you can find out which one you have for free, before paying anyone.

What the City Says About Your Water Pressure

The City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department puts it plainly on its water pressure page: pressure varies from one part of the city to another depending on location and demand. Under the California Plumbing Code, a home needs a pressure regulator if the pressure in its area is more than 80 pounds per square inch, and that regulator belongs to the property owner, not the City. Something few homeowners know: if you think your pressure is off, call the City at 619-515-3525 and ask for a pressure check. A Public Utilities crew tests at the fire hydrant nearest your house and reports the number back to you. Normal pressure moves up and down about 10 psi through the day. If the street pressure checks out as normal, the cause is somewhere on your property.

If Your Pressure Is Too High

The City names a faulty regulator as the most common cause of a sudden jump in pressure. Regulators usually last somewhere around 10 to 15 years, and the houses here mostly went up in the 1950s through the 1970s, so a regulator from the original construction is long overdue. The symptoms build slowly:

Banging in the pipes when a valve shuts off, especially when the sprinklers kick on
Toilet fill valves and faucet cartridges that wear out every year or two
A washing machine or dishwasher hose that bulges or bursts
A water heater relief valve that drips, because the extra pressure pushes it past its setting

A new regulator goes on the main line near the shutoff, with unions on both sides so it can be swapped later without cutting pipe. We set it with a gauge and test the downstream pressure before we leave. Our pressure regulator page covers the job in detail. A relief valve that keeps dripping after the pressure is fixed may need its own attention; see water heater repair.

If Your Pressure Is Too Low

Low pressure has more possible causes, and the City lists four. A regulator can fail in the closed position and choke the flow. A shared meter, common in condos and duplexes, means a neighbor’s heavy use can pull your pressure down. Main replacement work on your street can lower pressure while homes run on temporary lines. And a leak anywhere on the property can do it too. If the low pressure is at one faucet only, look at that faucet first: a clogged aerator or a worn cartridge is far more likely than a pipe problem. If it’s the whole house and the City’s hydrant test came back normal, we’d check the regulator next, then the main line from the meter. One customer of ours had weak pressure at the master shower that turned out to be a failing regulator; a new one fixed it.

How Old Is the Water Line to Your House?

Del Cerro was part of the roughly 4,200 acres around Lake Murray that San Diego annexed in the 1950s, and most of its homes were built over the next twenty years or so. If you want to know when your service line went in, the City’s Development Services Department keeps records showing the installation date and where your line connects to the main. You can make an appointment to see them by calling 619-446-5300. The City doesn’t have drawings of the pipe on your lot, though. That part takes a plumber. If water is pouring out of a City pipe or a meter box in the street, that’s the City’s to fix, and the same number, 619-515-3525, is the City’s water hotline. Next door, our San Carlos page walks through the repair-or-repipe decision for homes of the same era, and our Allied Gardens page covers tree roots in canyon-edge sewer lines. Master plumber Tony Misleh founded the company in 2007, and our California license number is CSLB #910268. For pressure, leaks or a water heater in Del Cerro, phone (858) 567-0544 during the week, or use the Contact Us form to tell us what you’re seeing.