All about shower head water pressure
How
to know if you have good water pressure
How
to increase water pressure through a shower head or
hand held shower
How to know if you have good water pressure
If you wonder if your shower supply pipe has enough
water pressure to power a good flow of water though
a shower head, the easiest thing to do is to take
the shower head off the supply pipe and turn
on the water. Is there a lot of water running out of
the shower head supply pipe or is it just minimal? What
about water outlets in other parts of the house, like
your garden hose?
- If you cannot get a strong flow of water out of
your garden hose, chances are your house does not
have a lot of water pressure.
- If you can get a strong flow of water out of your
garden hose – but you are not getting a lot
out of your shower supply pipe, then the plumbing
in your shower may be corroded on the inside, your
shower valve may need servicing, or something else
in the plumbing is restricting water flow.
- If you turn the water on and there's a strong rush
of water and then it dies, you have good water pressure,
but there's probably a restriction somewhere upstream.
A more accurate way of telling how much water pressure
your house has is to buy a water pressure gauge
from a local hardware or plumbing supply store. Anything
above 20 PSI is OK, 80 PSI is generally a maximum for
household water pressure.
A cheaper way of telling if you have good water pressure
in your house is to get a five-gallon bucket and fill
it with your shower hose or shower supply pipe (without
the shower head or handshower installed). If the bucket
fills up in 15 seconds, you've got great water pressure.
If it takes about a minute, the pressure is OK and can
power most shower heads and hand showers with or without
a flow restrictor. If it takes more than two minutes,
you have low water pressure.
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How to increase water pressure through a shower head
or hand held shower
There are two things you can do to help increase the
water pressure through your shower head or hand held
shower head. The first is to clean a clogged screen
at the inlet of the shower head or hand held shower
head set's handle. The second is to remove the shower
head or hand held shower flow restrictor.
First, turn the shower on, rotate the spray selector
all the way to the left, and then to the right, and
then move it to the center position. Turn the shower
on for two seconds and then off again.
Clean The Screen
To clean a clogged shower head screen at the inlet
of the shower head or hand held shower head, remove
the shower head from the shower arm supply pipe or the
hand held shower head from the hand held shower hose.
If you cannot remove the shower head by hand, use a
rag and a wrench – the rag will help protect your
shower head's finish.
Not all shower heads and hand held shower heads have
a screen. If the shower head has a screen, it's located
at the inlet of the shower head. If the hand held shower
head has a screen, it's located at the inlet of the
hand held shower head's handle. Remove the screen and
clean it under running water so there is no sediment.
Depending on the model of shower head or hand held
shower head, you may need to remove the gasket, which
is a small, black, donut-shaped piece of rubber in the
shower head inlet. Use a long skinny tool like a slotted
screwdriver to carefully pull the gasket from the shower
head inlet. Remove the gasket carefully so you do not
damage the shower head threads. Also be careful not
to tear the gasket. If you do tear it, don't reuse it.
When you reinstall the shower head, use Teflon tape
instead.
*Screens come in all shapes and sizes.
The screen in your shower head or hand held shower head
may not look like the ones above. Please check package
for instructions or contact the manufacturer with any
additional questions you may have regarding screen removal
and cleaning.
Remove the Flow Restrictor
All shower heads and hand held shower head sets sold
in the United States contain a flow restrictor, also
known as a flow controller, as required by the National
Energy Act that limit water flow to 2.5 gallons per
minute. This helps save water and energy, which could
help you save money on your utility bill. Removing the
shower head or hand held shower flow restrictor will
increase your water and energy consumption. It will
also increase the amount of water flowing through your
shower head or hand held shower head for increased water
pressure through your shower head or hand held shower.
To remove the flow restrictor, remove the shower head
from the shower arm supply pipe or the hand held shower
head from the hand held shower hose. If you cannot remove
the shower head by hand, use a rag and a wrench –
the rag will help protect your shower head's finish.
Depending on the model, you may need to remove the
gasket, which is a small, black, donut-shaped piece
of rubber in the shower head inlet or hand held shower's
handle. Use a long skinny tool like a slotted screwdriver
to carefully pull the gasket from the shower head inlet.
Remove the gasket carefully so you do not damage the
shower head threads. Also be careful not to tear the
gasket. If you do tear it, don't reuse it. When you
reinstall the shower head, use Teflon tape instead.
The flow restrictor is the piece of plastic with a
small rubber o-ring at the inlet of the shower head
or hand held shower head's handle. Remove these pieces
by using a long, thin tool like a slotted screwdriver.
Catch an edge of the flow controller or restrictor with
the corner of the screwdriver and give the piece a twist
with your wrist. The flow restrictor will pop out of
the shower head or hand held shower.
If you live in an area of low water pressure, removing
the flow restrictor will not substantially change the
pressure you get through the shower head or hand held
shower head.
Remember, by removing the flow restrictor your utility
bill may increase. You will also be using more of our
natural resources. Keep the restrictor handy in case
your want to re-install in your shower head or hand
held shower in the future.
*For most shower heads and hand held
showers, remove screen to access flow restrictor (see
above)
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