On Feb 2, 6:37*am, "83LowRider" wrote:
wrote:
If water is running and someone opens a second
source, the pressure just quits. If one of the toilets
is refilling and the second one is flushed, they both
stop filling... usually hearing what I'd call a vapor lock.

Sounds to me more like clogged pipes. *What kind of pipe do you have?

Copper pipe inside the house.

Try this. *If there is no shutoff right near the meter, turn off the
water, install a Tee in the main pipe right after the meter, and see
what you have for pressure. *If it's adaquate, it's your pipes.
You cna also buy a well presure gauge and install this into that tee.
What is the pressure? *40lb and up should be fine, 50 or more is
preferred.

It could also be a bad main shutoff valve with loose washer. *Check
your valves.

Before doing any of this, why not have the water company check the
pressure. *That's what you pay them for.

I almost have to believe that the pressure near the meter/road
is very good as it was increased to the point of the water company
giving out warnings and suggesting reduction valves for those
at street level.

Find some places along the path of the pipes from where they first
become accessible where you
can either measure pressure or open a fitting, spigot, etc.
If you can flow the water you can visibly see how much
water flows and what the pressure is like. With a gauge,
you could see how the pressure at that point reacts as
you open faucets, etc elsewhere.

From the description, it would seem very strange what's
going on, not just a simple low pressure problem. IF it
were just low pressure, then when you flush a second
toilet, you'd have about 1/2 the flow rate in each one. You
shouldn't have it go from normal flow rate in one to just
a trickle in both. Sounds like some kind of obstruction
in the pipe that when there is enough flow, moves to block
it off. Kind of like one of those new fancy hoses they have
for washers, etc that close off the supply if the pipe bursts.

Also, since it's obviously cold water too, it can't be
the water heater, though it's possible that they fouled up
with some obstruction in part of the cold supply to the rest
of the house, if they worked on that at the time.