What is static water pressure?
Short answer: It is the pressure in your water supply when no water is flowing. Static pressure is the water pressure measured when water is available but not actively flowing through the system.
Static pressure is measured with a gauge on a hose bib with every tap, fixture, and sprinkler zone shut off. The water is sitting still in the pipe, pushing against the gauge with the full force of the supply. Most homes read somewhere between 40 and 80 PSI static — under 40 is considered low, and over 80 is high enough to risk damage to household fixtures and irrigation parts.
Static pressure is a useful starting number, but it is only half the story. It tells you how hard the water pushes when nothing is moving. It does not tell you how much water the supply can actually deliver once a zone opens and water starts flowing — that is dynamic pressure, and it is always lower.
Static pressure is also affected by elevation: every foot of elevation change shifts the pressure by about 0.43 PSI. A home on high ground relative to the street will read lower than a home downhill, even on the same water main.
What we check in Summerwood
We measure static pressure with a gauge at a hose bib, with everything in the house off, before we design or diagnose a system. It is the baseline number — but we never size a zone from static pressure alone, because the pressure that matters is the pressure while the water is flowing.
Related reading: Sprinkler Repair in Kingwood · All questions · Contact us
Frequently asked questions
What is normal static pressure for a home?
Most residential supplies read 40 to 80 PSI static. Under 40 is low, and over 80 is high enough that a pressure-reducing valve is usually recommended.
How do I measure my static pressure?
Screw a pressure gauge onto a hose bib, make sure every tap and sprinkler zone in the house is off, then open the bib and read the gauge. That reading is your static pressure.
Do you serve Summerwood?
Yes. Orion’s Rain serves Summerwood and the Lake Houston area — Kingwood, Atascocita, Porter, Humble, New Caney, Summerwood, Fall Creek, Huffman, and Eagle Springs. Call or text (281) 504-9998, 24 hours a day.
Related questions
- What is dynamic water pressure?
- Why doesn’t good static pressure guarantee a sprinkler system will work properly?
- Why does my sprinkler system have low pressure all of a sudden?
Get it looked at
If this sounds like your yard in Summerwood, call or text Orion’s Rain at (281) 504-9998 — 24 hours a day. We will test the system and tell you what is actually wrong, and what it will take to fix it the right way.
Orion’s Rain Smartscapes and Exteriors — (281) 504-9998 — LI0029444
Sources: Residential static pressure typically 40–80 PSI; under 40 low, over 80 high; 1 foot elevation = 0.433 PSI — Drip Depot, “Flow vs Pressure in an Irrigation System” (help.dripdepot.com).