Hi, my husband are renovating a house (we haven't moved in yet). It hasn't been lived in a long time so it was full of rodents. We are adding a master bathroom and I have a plumbing question. We will have well water, and I like good water pressure. What size pipes should we put in for the showers (especially) in order to have good water pressure? Thanks!
Jennifer

Most showers run 1/2" pipe. However, the main run in the house should be 3/4". The actual water pressure, though, will be determined by what pressure the well tank is set to. You can raise it up if needed.

Thank you very much.
Jennifer

I wouldn't hesitate to run a 3/4" main trunk line for the cold water, but if you run 3/4" for the hot remember that when you are waiting for the water to get hot at the faucet, you'll need to run 2.5 times more water. And when you turn it off there is 2.5 times more water in the pipe that you have payed to heat that is now getting cold.

The whole point of the 3/4" line is so if 2 or more faucets are running, there will be enough water for them.

The previous posters make a very good point. Perceived water pressure is at least as much a function of volume as it is of pounds per square inch of pressure. If you are tying in the new lines to existing plumbing, please be sure that the old lines are in good shape and not corroded otherwise occluded inside, particularly using well water which almost always carries more minerals than municipal supplies.

Black iron pipe used to be used a lot in southern homes also. I have taken down old pipes that were almost completely stopped up with rust and mineral deposits.

Lastly, please be sure to take a water sample to the appropriate county department for testing. It is the law to do so in most places before the well is tied into the house, but it also used to be a common practice to pour a gallon of bleach into the well to ensure the water would pass inspection. So please make sure you are safe. This service used to be free, but even it is not, any cost should be minimal.

Good luck!