Low water pressure and no water in Stevenage, Hitchin and North Herts

Is it just my house?

This is the first thing to find out, because it decides who can help. Ask a neighbour whether their water is affected, and look on your water company's website or social media for news of a burst main or planned work in your area.

When neighbours up and down the road have the same trouble, the fault is almost certainly on the public network and only your water company can fix it. If it is only your home, the cause is more likely to be on your side of the boundary, which is where a plumber comes in.

Is it every tap or just one?

• One tap or shower: the cause is usually at the fitting. A tap aerator or shower head clogged with limescale, a part-closed isolating valve or a failing cartridge are the common reasons.
• Hot taps only: look at how your hot water is made. A combination boiler, a hot water cylinder and an electric shower each have their own causes, and boiler faults need a heating engineer.
• Cold taps upstairs, but the kitchen tap is fine: in many older homes the kitchen tap comes straight off the mains while other taps are fed from a tank in the loft. A tank that is not refilling properly will weaken everything it supplies.
• Every tap in the house: the problem is more likely at the stopcock, on the supply pipe or on the public main.

Could the stopcock be the cause?

Sometimes. A stopcock that has been partly closed during earlier work, or one whose internal parts have worn or scaled up, can restrict flow to the whole house. Check it is fully open by turning it anticlockwise until it stops, gently. If it is stiff or seized, leave it alone and mention it in your enquiry rather than forcing it.

Can a leak cause low pressure?

Yes. A leak on the buried supply pipe between the boundary and the house can reduce the flow you get indoors. Signs include a soft or wet patch in the garden or drive, the sound of running water near the stopcock and a water meter that moves when nothing is on. The supply pipe on your side of the boundary is normally your responsibility.

Why is the pressure weak in an older house?

Several reasons are common in older properties:

• the supply pipe may be narrow, old or partly furred with scale
• some terraced houses share one supply pipe between several homes, so use next door affects you
• taps and showers fed from a loft tank rely on gravity, so flow upstairs is always gentle
• a length of old lead or galvanised pipe may still be in place

A plumber can work out which applies and explain the options.

Can I just fit a pump?

Not without care. A pump can boost water from a loft tank, but it must suit the pipes and the type of hot water system. Pumps that draw water straight from the mains are restricted. Regulation 5 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 lists any pump or booster that takes over 12 litres per minute, directly or indirectly, from a supply pipe as work your water company must be told about and agree to in advance. A plumber can advise what is allowed.

Changing to an unvented hot water cylinder, which runs at mains pressure, is notifiable work under the Building Regulations and needs a suitably qualified installer.

What should I do if I have no water at all?

• Check with neighbours and your water company for any outage
• Make sure your stopcock is open
• In very cold weather, consider whether a pipe has frozen, especially one in a loft, garage or outside wall
• If water has stopped because of a leak you can see, keep the stopcock closed until it is repaired

If you have no water and someone in the home depends on it for medical reasons, contact your water company. Every water company keeps a priority services register for customers who need extra help during an interruption.

Which details help?

• your postcode
• whether neighbours are affected
• which taps are weak or dry, and whether the hot side, the cold side or each is affected
• whether it started suddenly or got worse over time
• your hot water set-up: combination boiler, cylinder with loft tank, or electric
• anything recent, such as building work, frost or a new appliance