Step 1: Is It Just You?
Ask a neighbour or check Scottish Water’s website for work or bursts in your area. If the whole street has low pressure, it’s a supply issue for Scottish Water rather than a problem in your home.
Step 2: Check the Obvious
- Make sure your stopcock is fully open — it’s often left half-closed after a repair.
- If only one tap or shower is weak, unscrew the aerator or shower head and clean it out.
- Check isolation valves under sinks and behind toilets — the slot should run along the pipe when open.
Common Causes in Edinburgh Tenements
- Old supply pipes: lead and iron pipes are narrow and may be partly blocked, so less water gets through. Replacing them often makes a big difference — see our guide to lead pipes in Edinburgh.
- Shared supplies: in some tenements several flats share one supply, so pressure drops when everyone uses water at once.
- Top-floor flats: water has further to climb, and some flats are fed from a tank in the loft, which gives low pressure by design.
- Hidden leaks: a leak on your supply pipe lets water escape before it reaches your taps.
How It’s Fixed
The right fix depends on the cause, which is why it’s worth having it diagnosed rather than buying a pump straight away. Often it’s as simple as replacing a seized stopcock or a restricted valve; sometimes the old supply pipe needs replacing. We trace the cause and agree the price before any work — see our water line repair service.
