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You are here : At Home > My Water > Water pressure > High pressure

High Pressure

High water pressure and flow is rare but can occur in some parts of the water supply network.

You may notice a strong spurt of water when the cold tap is running.

If you are experiencing high water pressure and flow, try turning the internal stop tap down, a little at a time, until the water is at a satisfactory level. If you cannot find your internal stop tap, click here to watch our how to video guide.

If you have tried this but high pressure is still causing you an issue, please contact a water industry approved plumber.

You can fit a pressure reducing value next to your boundary stop tap which will provide a reduction in water pressure but does not affect your water flow rate. Your plumber can fit this for you.

There is no maximum legal requirement for water pressure of flow and it is unlikely that we can reduce this quickly. We monitor all areas that experience higher pressure and we aim to reduce the extremely high areas in the next 5 to 10 years.

Pressure management

We carry out planned pressure management in areas that have very high operating pressure, typically 2 bar or higher (a level above twice the legal minimum) . We gradually reduce the water pressure over a period of weeks.

This additional water pressure puts unnecessary stress on our water network and can cause bursts, which can lead to interruptions to supplies, road works and traffic problems.

What should my water pressure be?

We are legally required to supply a minimum water pressure of 7 metres head (0.7 bar) to your boundary stop tap. Pressure is measured in bars and 1 bar will push water to a height of 10 metres to your home. Water pressure is measured at the point where it leaves our pipework and flows through your outside stop tap or property boundary.

If you are not on a joint supply, your neighbours should have the same water pressure as you, provided your houses are of very similar height and the same distance from the point where our water main is located. Your water flow is individual to your property and may differ from your neighbours.

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