Measuring the water pressure of the water supply without a pressure gauge

As the English philosopher Francis Bacon said, “Knowledge is power.” Using knowledge in the household, you can greatly facilitate your life and at the same time save money.

For example, you need to find out what pressure is in your water supply.

Why do you need it? Surely such interest will appear if the pressure is significantly different from the norm.

For a one-time measurement, you do not want to purchase a pressure gauge, and there is no one to rent it from.

Well ... Then we recall the school section of physics called "Hydraulics".

For this experience, you will need:

- transparent flexible hose, 1.5-2 meters long;

- clamp 2 pcs.;

- cork 1 pc;

- roulette;

- a piece of paper, a pen and a calculator;

- a floor rag, in case something goes wrong ...

So, according to the diagram below (Figure 1), put the hose on the faucet.

Fix it to the faucet with a clamp. If there is no clamp, use wire and pliers to make a wire squeeze (what it is - I think I don’t need to explain).

Fasten the free end of the hose to the wall in a vertical position.

Open the water to fill the part of the hose below the faucet with water. The initial fill level is as in Figure 1.

Shut off the water.

Measure the height H1 from the top water level to the free end of the hose.

Now plug the hose with a plug. To prevent pressure from tearing it off, fix it with a second clamp.

Reopen the water.

The water level in the hose will rise to a certain level and stop (Figure 2).

Measure the height H2 from the top water level to the end of the hose.

Close the water and disassemble the entire structure.

It's time for a little reckoning. The formula will help us with this (do not be alarmed, we will simplify it now):

In a simplified way, we can simply divide H1 by H2 and we get the approximate value of the pressure in Atmospheres.

For example: H1=50cm, H2=25cm

50/25=2 Atm.

These calculations, of course, have a certain error, but it will help to find out the pressure value.