Most of the time, a shower instantly becomes less relaxing if the water pressure is very low. How are you supposed to properly wash your hair and rinse your shower gel off your skin with just a small trickle of water?
If you are tired of this problem, learn how to get more water pressure in your shower so you can start enjoying your showers again. Here is a guide on how to get more water pressure in the shower:
Make sure your water shut-off valve is fully open
Have you just moved into a new home? Did a plumber do some work on your plumbing system recently? If so, it’s possible that your home’s main shut-off valve could be responsible for the low water pressure in your shower.
This is even more probable if you also experience low water pressure in your sinks. Locate the main shut-off valve, then make sure it’s fully open. It should be located either in your basement or under your kitchen sink. After fully opening the valve, check if the water pressure in your shower has improved.
Clean your shower head
If the shut-off valve is not responsible for your water pressure problem, you might need to clean your shower head.
Sediments in the water can get stuck in your shower head and create a mineral buildup over time. This buildup makes it more difficult for the water to flow through.
You can either remove your shower head to clean it or leave it in place and tie a plastic bag filled with vinegar to it with a rubber band. After a few hours, the vinegar should dissolve the sediments, and the water should be able to flow normally.
Remove the flow restrictor of your shower head
Newer models of shower heads often come with a flow restrictor. While this device is supposed to help you save some water, it can result in a low water pressure problem if your home’s water pressure is already not ideal.
If you still have the instructions that came with your shower head, they should show you how to locate and remove the flow restrictor. If you don’t have any instructions, you could ask a plumber to remove the flow restrictor for you. This should allow you to instantly get more water pressure in your shower.
Ask your plumber for a shower pump
When all else fails, you should consider getting a shower pump installed. A shower pump is a device that can get fitted to your plumbing system. It gets activated whenever you turn on the water in your shower, and its purpose is to boost the water pressure right before it reaches your shower head.
Ask a plumber if it could be a good solution for your home, and if so, have one installed. The shower pump will effortlessly boost the water pressure in your shower, so you will never again have to worry about leaving the shower with some shampoo foam still hiding in your hair because you were not able to fully rinse it off.
Consider getting a new shower head
Instead of removing the flow restrictor of your shower head, you could replace your shower head with a new one.
Some shower heads are designed specifically to help increase the water pressure of showers plagued with low water pressure. A low-pressure shower head might not completely solve the problem, depending on the cause of the low water pressure, but it should improve the situation.
You can install your new shower head yourself or ask a plumber to help you if you don’t feel comfortable doing it on your own.
Make sure there are no leaky pipes in your home
A plumbing leak could cause low water pressure in your shower. And unfortunately, not all leaky pipes are announced by a suspicious puddle of water on the floor. Some of them happen inside the walls of your home, and detecting them can be very difficult.
If you don’t understand why you suddenly have low water pressure, leaky pipes could be the culprit. Ask a plumber to check your plumbing system for leaks and to repair them.
If the plumber finds and repairs a leak, it should fix your low water pressure issue.
Turn off other appliances while you are showering
If you are always trying to take a shower while your washing machine is running and someone else has just started the dishwasher, you should not be too surprised about the low water pressure.
Any appliances that use water run all at once, which can hurt your home’s water pressure.
Try showering at a time when no one in your household is using any water, and see if it makes a difference in terms of water pressure.