How To Know The Average Flow Rate Of Your Faucet (Step-By-Step Guide)

If you want to know the average faucet flow rate, then this article is the right one for you. This article comes with everything you need to know about your faucet including the meaning of faucet, the measures to take in other for your faucet to last long, how to know the average flow rate of your faucet, and many more.

Many homeowners may not even know anything about the average flow rate of the faucets in their homes.

Well, knowing the average flow rate of the faucets in your home can be very important when the time comes for you to replace a faulty faucet. 

So if you do not know the average flow rate of the faucets in your home, then this article is all that you need to bring yourself up to speed. 

Let us now look at the average flow rate of a faucet.

What Is The Average Flow Rate Of A Faucet?

The average flow rate of a faucet is between 1.0GPM and 1.5GPM. GPM stands for ‘Gallons Per Minute.

According to studies, people normally open the tap to a flow rate between 1.0GPM and 1.5GPM. However, all faucets are subject to maximum flow rates of 2.2GPM at 60 psi. Psi here stands for Pounds Per Inch. 

According to the Federal Standards, 2.2GPM is also the maximum flow rate that has been allocated for faucets. However, you can get the flow rate reduced to as low as 0.8GPM. 

You can do this without affecting the water pressure of your faucet. It would also be one of the best ways to reduce the amount you pay for your water bill. 

So we now know about the flow rate of most faucets. That means that the faucets in your home are likely having a flow of 2.2GPM or below. 

However, you cannot just get up and guess something like this. We are now going to look at how you can measure the flow rate of your faucet so that you will know exactly the flow rate you are dealing with in your home. 

How To Measure The Flow Rate Of Your Faucet

Measuring your faucet flow rate will allow you to know the exact flow rate they have. They will let you know if you want to reduce the flow rate or not. 

Before you can measure the flow rate of your faucet, you will need a large container that can hold about a gallon of water, which is 3.75 liters of water. 

Apart from that, you will need a measuring cup and a stopwatch to complete the measuring equipment. 

Now you have gotten the items listed above for measuring the flow rate of your faucet. We can now proceed to the steps of measuring the flow rate of your faucet.

Now follow these steps to know steps to measure the flow rate of your faucet.

1. Place the large container under the faucet.
2. Open your faucet and start the stopwatch in your other hand simultaneously. These actions need to be done simultaneously. The faucet also needs to be fully open when measuring its flow rate. The hot and cold nobs are also included if you have that available in your home. 
3. Now, turn the faucet off after 10 seconds.
4. Now, measure the amount of water that has been collected in the container and convert the measured value into gallons. After obtaining the amount of water in the container, multiply it by 6. The number you get will then be the GPM of that particular faucet you just tested.

So that is how you can measure the flow rate of the faucets in your home. As you can see, it is quite a straightforward procedure that can be carried out by anyone at all. 

All you have to do is to get the large container and the measuring cup along with your stopwatch. These are items that you can find in your home quickly. 

If you do not have a stopwatch, you can get one on your smartphone. Almost every smartphone has a stopwatch on it. So that is how you test for the flow rate of your faucet. Let us continue.

How To Decrease The Flow Rate Of Your Faucet

If you feel like decreasing the current flow rate of the faucet, you can get that done quite easily as well. 

There is something in the faucet known as an aerator, and it is responsible for reducing the faucet’s flow rate. 

The aerator of a faucet is usually located at the tip of the fixture, and it is usually screwed onto the head of the faucet. This creates a non-splashing stream of water that is mixed with air. 

When the faucet’s flow rate is decreased in this manner, it does not affect the faucet’s water pressure.

To decrease the flow rate of your faucet, all you have to do is screw the head of the aerator to your desired level.

A specification published by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program labels recommends high-performing faucets.

The publication also certifies that using between 0.8 GPM at 20 psi and 1.5 GPM at 60 psi (for home installations) while 0.5 GPM is suitable for public buildings.

So that is how to quickly decrease the flow rate of the faucets in your home.

How To Increase Faucet Flow Rate In Your Home

However, if you feel like paying more for your water bills than what you are currently paying, you can quickly increase the faucet’s flow rate. 

To increase the flow rate of your faucet, you will replace the aerator of the faucet with a model with a higher GPM (Gallons Per Minute). 

However, before you get up to go and purchase the new aerator, you should first try to find out if the current aerator is the cause of the low flow rate problem or not. 

To make sure that is not the case, remove the aerator from the faucet to see if the faucet’s flow rate is reasonable. 

If the standard flow rate is reasonable, then the aerator is the problem, and you can go ahead and purchase a new one. 

Factors That Causes The Flow Rate Of Your Faucet To Reduce 

Let us now look at some of the things that can cause the flow rate of your faucet to reduce.

Low Flow Faucet Aerator

When you realize that the aerator is causing the low flow rate of the faucet, all you have to do is replace the current aerator with a new one that has a higher flow rate unit. 

You can also decide to remove the flow altogether. However, that is not advisable as it could lead to the faucet developing some later problems. 

You should also check out the legal standard flow rate allowed in your area or state before you replace the faucet with a higher-rate aerator to ensure that you do not breach any state laws.

Plugged Aerator Screen

As time goes on, the faucet head can get clogged with sediment and mineral deposits. 

To correct this issue, you can unscrew the faucet’s tip and clean it up really well. You can get the job done easily by cleaning it with vinegar.

You can then use a toothpick to clear out the particles. If you notice that the particles are hard to remove, you may need to replace the head of the faucet with a new one altogether. 

Apart from these tips, you can also check out the shut-off valves and the faucet supply tube to make sure that everything is alright over there. 

What Is The Average Flow Rate Of Kitchen Faucets?

The average flow rate of kitchen faucets is 1.0 GPM and 2.2 GPM depending on the type of faucet you are using. Also, the flow rate depends on the regulations on the environment. In some places, the average flow rate for your kitchen faucet is 2.2 GPM at 60 psi.

For example, the average flow rate for people living in California is 1.8 GPM, and people in Georgia have an average kitchen flow rate of 2.0 GPM

What Is Considered To Be A Good Flow Rate For Faucets?

The best faucet rate should be around 0.5 GPM to 1.5 GPM based on the WaterSense standard governing your area.

Things You Should Know About Your Faucet

Before we wrap up today’s educational article, there are some things you should know about your faucet. Here they are below.

1. Closing the tap while brushing your teeth can contribute to saving over 3000 gallons of water in a year
2. When you replace your showerheads with models that WaterSense has approved, you can save about4 gallons of water any time you take a shower.
3. You can save about 8.800 gallons of water when replacing your clock timer with an irrigation controller approved by WaterSense.

Conclusion

So that is all about knowing the average faucet flow rate for today. As you can see in today’s article, you can easily measure the kitchen faucet water flow rate or any other faucet while decreasing and increasing it according to what you prefer. 

I am pretty sure that this article has been informative to you, especially when it comes to faucet flow rates.

Make sure to check out more similar articles on this site when you finish with today’s article for more home-related kinds of stuff.