You stood under your shower with the need for a deep cleaning or a quick bath, and then, you discovered the showerhead isn’t spraying adequately. You’ve got to spend additional minutes which might not suit you during rush hours.
You can think of increasing the pressure instantly but have every chance of not knowing how because you didn’t have to do this regularly. This article can be your guide to increasing water pressure in the shower of your apartment.
What Causes Low Water Pressure in the Shower?
Knowing what is causing the shower to work with a low pressure helps you determine where to start and what to do. Here are some possible causes of low water pressure in the shower.
Shared Pipeline
It is common for many apartment buildings to use a shared pipeline that often fails to meet a high demand for water when most apartments in a building need a continuous supply at once.
Old Water Main
Older buildings usually have pipelines that are corroded and outdated. You may want to replace or upgrade the water main line, but the problem is such a project involves major construction and expenses plus the hassles of dealing with municipalities.
Pipe Blockages and Leaks
There is nothing to be surprised about leaks in the plumbing system, which prevent the usual supply of streaming from reaching the showerhead. Appliances with broken seals, extreme fluctuations of outdoor temperature, rust or corrosion, and sharp tree roots are some of the causes of leaks.
Clogged pipes or blockages somewhere in the plumbing system are common too. Hair, dirt, gravel, and tiny objects may find their way into the pipeline only to cause disruption.
Malfunctioning Pressure Regulator
A ‘water pressure regulator’ gives a reading of the water pressure levels maintained by your home’s water supply. If it gets blocked and not given the due attention, it may fail only to affect the water pressure levels.
Mineral Deposits or Supply of Hard Water
Tap water usually contains some magnesium, calcium, and other dissolved minerals. Water that contains high levels of these minerals is called hard water. Mineral buildup can cause the diameter of the pipe to shrink, thereby affecting the regular water pressure. There are certain signs that help you know if your house is receiving hard water.
- Yellow or white residue on your clothes (even if they’re clean)
- Stains or spots on cleaned dishes and silverware
- White film or color around your hands that wash clothes or dishes
Municipal Supply Problem
If there is a problem with the municipal water supply system, you may not be able to detect the real cause of low pressure. But you can ask your neighbors or the municipality for confirmation. If so is the case, you should check with the office and bring a booster pump.
Partially Open Water Valves
A shutoff valve installed on the water main may be kept partially open in which case you may not get an adequate supply of water due to low pressure. This situation occurs when the plumbers don’t open the valve fully; otherwise dwellers of a building don’t usually have to touch that component.
How to Increase Water Pressure in Your Shower?
You have a few things to do to increase the water pressure, but some of them require you to contact either a plumber or the municipal office for required permissions. Here, you’ll know about all those steps.
Test Your Showerhead’s Flow
Take a 5-gallon bucket and place it under the shower. Turn the shower on to its full capacity and start your clock (stopwatch) simultaneously. Wait until the bucket gets full and stop the watch. Now, you can determine how long the shower took to fill your bucket with water.
If the capacity of your bucket is 5 gallons and the shower takes 2.5 minutes to fill it, it is a 2 GPM showerhead, or its flow rate is 2 GPM (5/2.5).
US benchmarks for the flow rate of showerheads include 1.5 GPM being the ideal rate from low-flow devices, 2 GPM for a standard showerhead, and a maximum of 2.5 GPM for high-flow devices.
Replace Your Showerhead If It Uses a Restrictor or Filter
A low-flow showerhead or the one with a filter/ water-restricting device usually delivers less pressure than a regular showerhead does. You need to check the flow rate before thinking of increasing the rate by replacing the existing filter or removing that device completely.
Devices with a higher flow rate (2.5 GPM) can be a solution if the state permits. Some US states require homeowners to use 2.0 or 1.5 GPM showerheads due to seasonal scarcity of water or draught problems. Before using a 2.5 GPM showerhead, you should check the regulations.
Remove Mineral Deposits/ Scale Buildup
Needless to say, tap water contains minerals and other substances which eventually result in deposits to clog up your showerhead. But cleaning the device is not challenging.
Start by unscrewing and submerging the showerhead in a bowl full of water and white vinegar. Leave it for 8-10 hours. Use a toothpick to clean the tiny particles from all spray openings.
Reinstall the device and check the water flow by enabling a full-blast supply of water. If you find that the buildup or deposits are too difficult to remove, you should consider a replacement of your showerhead.
Examine the Main Shutoff (Curbside)
Some homeowners have their kerbside main shutoff working but not turned on fully. This causes those residents to live with a low flow of water. Unfortunately, it is not a problem that needs to be handled. The shutoff just needs some adjustments.
You’ll see a shutoff valve and a meter where the water enters the house at the kerbside. A standard shutoff valve usually has two styles of handle, such as a level-type or round handle.
- Rotate a round handle counterclockwise all the way.
- Keep a lever-type handle parallel to your water pipe.
State regulations might be an impediment for you to tamper with the kerbside meter. So, you should call your water utility management service provider or water supplier and ask for their assistance.
Check the Main Shutoff in the House
There is another shutoff valve just like the curbside one except this is closer to the house. You need to follow the same rule as above,
- turning the shutoff counterclockwise for a round handle
- keeping it parallel to the pipe for a level-style handle
Due to years of use, the valve may become too corroded or rusted to take the pressure from you trying to work on it. Part of the pipe or valve may get so rusty or corroded that it may break easily.
Don’t risk breaking that. If you do, you might just end up seeing your house flooded. Call in a professional plumber who knows how to do it without snapping your water pipe or breaking the shutoff valve.
Replace the Volume Control (Single-Handle)
Shower faucets with a single handle come with a volume valve on them that may affect the water pressure. This particular part is not cheap, and you may not be able to repair it. Even though some plumbers claim that they can repair it, you should look for a replacement instead of counting on them.
Open Up the In-Line Shutoff Valve (If Available)
Some residents use in-line shutoff valves on their water lines, which supply water to the showerheads. These valves look like the ones on the supply lines of sinks. Being placed on individual pipelines, they work like an emergency stop.
You’ll be able to locate them if you look near your supply point. Showers with supply pipes installed in the basement have these valves on the water pipes that lead up to showers.
Just like the valves on the main shutoff, in-line valves may not be open. So, you should turn it counterclockwise as much as possible.
After learning what you need to do, chances are you’ll decide to either increase the flow rate or replace the showerhead. Remember these notes of caution.
Increased flow rate results in quick showers and exhaustion of the supply which may not be ideal in all situations. Do some labor to find and fix the actual issue.
Replacement of the showerhead or other important components in the plumbing system involves significant costs and effort. So, you should consult a plumber and check with the relevant authority before spending money.
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