Is there anything more frustrating than hopping in the shower and standing under a light trickle of water? You need to wash your hair and body as fast as can be, but there’s barely any water coming out. It makes the whole process a lot harder, and it can even mean you struggle to rinse out all the shampoo from your hair, leading to annoying dandruff!
Sadly, too many people suffer from this problem. For whatever reason, your showerhead has low water pressure. Can you fix this? Absolutely – and it’s actually not that hard at all. Sometimes, the fix is very simple and doesn’t even require the help of a plumber. Other times, it can be a bit more complicated.
To learn how to fix a shower with low pressure, you need to know what’s causing it. Here are some of the most common reasons:
A clogged showerhead
It’s highly possible that your water pressure problem is caused by nothing more than a clogged and dirty showerhead. Now, most people don’t wipe their showerhead after every use – it’s not something we even think about doing! As such, over time, the little holes in the head can become clogged and blocked, meaning the water fails to come out at the right pressure.
It’s easy to spot if this is the problem as you can see mineral deposits on the showerhead. There’s no real way of preventing this as it happens thanks to the natural minerals in the water. All you can do is remove all of this stuff right now using a little brush and some vinegar. Soak your showerhead in a vinegar solution overnight to decalcify the minerals. Then, use a toothbrush to wipe everything away and enjoy better water pressure once more!
Low water pressure in your home
Turn on the faucets in your home and see how the water comes out. Are they following a normal stream, or does the pressure also look low? If it’s the latter, you could have a general water pressure issue in your home.
The good news is that this can sometimes be fixed very easily. Go to your boiler and it should have a gauge on there that indicates the water pressure. You should also find some instructions nearby that tell you where the proper range is for good pressure. If the dial is outside of this range, you can make a few changes to boost it back up. Again, you will find instructions on how to do this either next to your boiler or in the instructor’s manual. It usually involves turning a knob on some pipes until you see the water pressure increase to its normal state.
If this doesn’t work, there’s likely an issue with the water pressure regulator. So, you’ll need a slightly different solution. More often than not, the best course of action is to install a water pressure booster – like the SCALA1 pumps. These pumps are installed in your plumbing to give your home an extra boost of water pressure. You should see this reflected on your pressure gauge, which translates to a shower that’s working at full blast once more!
A bad showerhead
Arguably the most common reason for low water pressure in your shower is the head itself. It could be perfectly clean, and the water pressure in your home could be fine, but the shower is still trickling out a slow stream of water.
This is because the showerhead is a low-flow one. Effectively, it means that it takes the water through the tube and slows the flow down before sending it out to you. Why? Well, it’s probably because the head is very old and has stopped working properly. Thankfully, you can find a much better showerhead with more pressure online. Have a look at different reviews before ordering yours.
From here, you just have to replace the old one with the new one. It’s an easier task than you think – you usually have to unscrew the old head and screw the new one in place. Just like that, you should see a dramatic difference and the water pressure has been restored.
A loose showerhead
Speaking of unscrewing and screwing a showerhead, the pressure problem can be caused by a head that’s not installed properly. Again, over time, your shower head will be used again and again. There’s every chance that repetitive use can lead to it becoming slightly loose at the bottom next to the water tube. As such, water can start leaking from it, which disrupts the pressure.
Clearly, you can see if this is your problem! Also, it’s only relevant to showerheads that are attached to a rubber tube and can be removed and moved around. If you have a static one that stays in place, it’s unlikely to suffer from this issue.
Wider plumbing issues
All of the above problems can pretty much be fixed by yourself. However, there could be some wider plumbing issues that are causing the low water pressure. One that springs to mind is a leaky pipe in your system. If there’s a leak somewhere, it can mean that the water pressure in your shower drops a bit.
Likewise, there might be problems with the valves in your shower. One could be shut or closed off, disrupting the water pressure. The easy way to know if your problem is caused by a wider plumbing issue is to go through all of the other problems first. If you check the issues above, and still see no improvements in the shower pressure, it’s likely the problem is more serious. As a result, you need to call a plumber in to find and fix the cause as soon as possible.
Hopefully, your shower pressure problems will be solved quickly. In most cases, it will be an issue with the showerhead. Whether it’s a clogged showerhead, an old one, or a loose one; all of these concerns can be fixed in an instant. Low water pressure in your household can also be a common cause, but this is also highly fixable. The worst-case scenario is a wider plumbing concern, but you can still solve the problem with the help of a plumber, bringing convenience back to your shower routine.
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