What Is The Right Water Pressure For Your Home?

When it comes to water pressure in your home, everybody has an opinion on what is adequate. One family member's trickle of water is another family member's high-power firehose. One way to arrive at a peaceful settlement is to determine your home's water pressure in a definitive measurable way. Thus, having periodic water pressure readings is always a good idea.

A water pressure reading will tell you exactly how forceful your water is in PSI (pounds per square inch). Normal water pressure is generally between 40 and 60 PSI; most homeowners prefer something right in the middle around 50 PSI. Once you measure your home's water pressure, you can adjust it to a setting that is ideal for all family members and household uses.

Checking and adjusting your water pressure can also save you money and improve the quality of your life. If the water pressure is too high, you may be using too much water each day; if it's too low, you may be taking longer to perform cleaning and bathing tasks or not adequately getting the job done. (If you're a shower taker, chances are you want all the pressure you can get!)

Water pressure readings are a great way to monitor the health of your plumbing system. Sudden changes in water pressure could be a sign of a serious plumbing problem. Decreases in water pressure and flow could indicate a serious blockage somewhere in your piping. And surges in water pressure intensity are not normal and could put undue stress on pipes, fixtures and appliances (such as your washing machine and dishwasher). Too much pressure can also wear down washers, cause faucets to drips and leaks, as well as make toilets run constantly

A plumber can always take a water pressure reading for you. But if you're a hands-on homeowner, this is something you can do for yourself. Many homes have a water pressure gauge -- usually in the basement or near an outdoor spigot. You can also purchase water pressure gauges in most hardware stores for $10-20. These water pressure gauges are pretty easy to install, operate and read; just screw on to any indoor or outdoor faucet. You should try to take a reading from as many faucets as possible including outdoor hose spigots and the faucet that connects to your washing machine.


Don't Have Time to Install and Use a Water Pressure Gauge? Try the Multi-Flow Test!

Here's a simple low-tech way to see if your home has or doesn't have adquate water pressure. Run a washing machine or dishwasher; then turn on a couple of sinks in the house, as well as the shower and other plumbing fixtures. If water doesn't flow strongly out of any of these faucets and fixtures, or flows fine on one floor but not on another, you probably should increase your water pressure.


Adjusting Your Water Pressure

Most houses built in the last 25-30 years have a pressure reducing valve on the supply line coming into the house. It's usualy pretty simple to adjust that valve to increase or reduce the water pressure. First, locate the valve; most likely it will be found near your water meter in the basement or possibly in a crawlspace. The pressure reducing valve is made of brass with a bell-shaped middle section with a screw in the end of the bell.

Turning that screw adjusts the water pressure. To increase your water pressure you tighten the screw down by turning it clockwise; to decrease the water pressure, turn the screw counter-clockwise. Do this in small increments, making sure to measure your water pressure after each adjustment.

If these adjustments don't work for you, if you're not comfortable making these adjustments yourself or if you live in an older home, we recommend calling a plumber. A plumber can find the pressure reducer valve (or install one if your home doesn't have one). Your plumbing professional can also identify if your bad water pressure is due to a more serious problem in your piping or outside of your house.


More Information...

• Horizon Plumbing Services
• Plumbing, Drain and Sewer FAQs

Aval/Poha Kesari and Friday Kolam

The sweet, kesari is synonymous with rava kesari. If there is a change in the ingredient or addition of another, it gets added to the name like Pineapple kesari or semiya kesari. As with halwas, there are varieties of kesari. The most common at home is rava kesari. Two years back, during our visit to my BIL at Bangalore, we were invited by J akka, sister of my co-sister (manni in Tamil). J akka is like a sister to me too and incidentally she shares my sister's name. J akka cooks well. One of her signature dish is Bisi Bele Bath. She had made that for lunch and for dessert, it was kesari. When I tasted kesari, the texture and color was similar to rava kesari but the taste was slightly different. It was then she told me it was made of aval/poha.

From then on, I wanted to try it at home. But it never happened until two weeks back when my uncle and family came for breakfast on a Sunday. I decided Sevai with potato masala and coconut chutney. I could not decide on the sweet. I wanted to make something light and quick and kesari fits the bill. But then wanted something different to offer to the guests and I was running short of time. My uncle and family was expected anytime. Then luckily the bulb flashed and was reminded of aval kesari. I could make it in flat 15 minutes from start to finish.

I used matta aval (thick, brown variety). if you are using the white variety, the color will be yellow. Since I used brown, the color was brown too. The flavor of poha was more prominent that what I had in J akka's house.

You need



Coarsely powdered Aval - 1/2 cup

Water - 1 cup

Sugar - less than 1 cup (Take 1 cup if you like it very sweet)

Ghee - 1 1/2 tblspn

cashew/raisins - few

cardamom powder - 1/2 tspn

Yellow color - a pinch


Method

Pulse aval in the mixie coarsely. The texture should be grainy and not too fine. This will help in getting a fluffy kesari rather than a gummy kind.  Heat a kadai. Add half  tablespoon of ghee. Roast cashews and raisins and remove them. Add a cup of water and and a pinch of yellow color. When water starts boiling, stir in the powdered aval. Mix well. When the water is fully abosrbed, add sugar. Aval doesn't turn lumpy like rava. Its lot more easier. Stir in a tablespoon of ghee. Keep mixing and it  gets done in 5 minutes. You can see the ghee floating on top. Add cardamom powder and the roasted cashews. The amount of ghee required is also less than in the usual kesari. It remained soft even the next day.

Friday Kolam and this is the last friday of the month in the regional calendar (Thai/Makaram)

MahaShivarathri wishes to all my readers who celebrate.

Godi Tari Uppma - Broken Wheat Savoury Cereal

GODI TARI UPMA

BROKEN WHEAT SAVOURY CEREAL

My husband's uncle once mentioned that they used to cook wheat and rice together(they had named it as whrice!!)during war time, when there was shortage of rice. Hence my mother-in-law who was already used to eating wheat, did not find it difficult to adjust to broken wheat as a substitute to rice, when she was diagonised as a diabetic.

The wheat "rice" has a chewy and flat taste and it is capable of subduing the taste of even the spiciest of kozhambus. Pongal made out of it ends up as a gooey lump. "Curd rice" made with broken wheat is a good dish. But broken wheat uppma is the family's favourite.

INGREDIENTS
Broken wheat - 1 glass
Tamarind - one plum size (soak in 1/4 cup of warm water and extract juice)
Salt - 1.5 tsp
Turmeric powder -1 pinch
Mustard seeds -1/4 tsp
Split black gram dal - 1 tsp
Split bengal gram dal - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - a few
Onion- 1 small (Chopped finely)
Carrot -1 (chopped)
Cauli flower (broken into small florets) - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 2 ( chopped)
Fresh ginger - 1" piece (grated)
Tomato - 1 (Chopped)
Boiled Green peas or frozen peas - 1/2 cup

Cooking oil - 2 tbsps

METHOD
1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a heavy bottomed pan and roast the broken wheat until the grains pop up(most of the grains become white in colour) giving out a pleasant aroma.Remove it onto a plate. 2. Heat he remaining oil in the same vessel add mustard seeds.
3. When mustard seeds splutter, add asafoetida and the dals and roast till golden in colour.
4. Add the finely chopped onion and fry till brown and crisp .
5. Add chopped green chillies , grated ginger, turmeric powder and curry leaves.
6. Add all the chopped vegetables (except tomato and peas) and sautee for three minutes, add 1/4 cup of water and cover and cook till the water is absorbed.
7. Add 2.5 cups of water, salt, tamarind extract, chopped tomatoes and peas into the vessel with the seasoning, and bring it to a boil.
8. Add the roasted broken wheat and stir well .
9. When the whole mixture starts boiling decrease flame and cook on low fire, covering the vessel with a lid.
10. Open and stir after ten minutes , cover and cook for ten more minutes and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Relish the hot godi tari uppma with a scoop of thick and cool curd.