It’s the simple pleasures in life that make our day better. For some, it’s sipping hot tea. For others, it’s the smell of freshly baked cookies.
But, there’s one thing that most of us enjoy – a good hot shower. And the real problem arises when the shower doesn’t work as expected; the morning goes from beautiful to frustrating in a snap. Weak or low water pressure is one of the most common issues, and if you’re facing the same, here is what that’s causing it.
6 Things To Check When the Shower has Low Water Pressure
If you’re moving to a new home and it’s your first time handling these little issues, here are 6 ways to check your shower and having it working as usual.
It doesn’t take much time to detect the problem but if you’re unable to fix it, you can always call the plumber and get it repaired soon.
- Clogged/blocked showerhead
The first and the basic thing is to do when there is a low water pressure is to check if the showerhead is clogged. Often, the mineral deposits over time build up and eventually clog the showerhead leading to low pressure.
You can quickly detach it and see the deposits. If you find it clean, then it might be due to other reasons listed below. If it’s not, soak it in vinegar for a couple of hours and fix it. It should work well then.
- Faulty Regulator
As in the name, it’s a water regulator which regulates the flow of water and when it’s faulty, you either get sudden blasts of water or low water pressure. It can be hard to detect it and the root cause lies in the water supply line. You cannot do it yourself if the issue is this so you need to call your local plumber to fix it soon.
- Leaked Pipe
If your showerhead is not clogged, it can be due to a leaked or clogged pipe. The flow of water from the pipe may be reduced due to the deposits in the pipe. It can also happen if the pipe is too old leading to weak water pressure. Either way, when you see an issue or when you’re unable to identify the cause, contact your plumber quickly to fix it.
- Hot water Shower
The first thing we want after a long day is to have a hot water shower and if it’s not working as it should, the water heater may be the culprit.
Sometimes the water heater will have a leaking water tank or a stuck valve and it’s always better to get it checked to see if you need to repair it or replace it with a new one. Don’t forget to check the heater when only the hot water pressure is low.
- Plumbing Issues
There might be issues with plumbing that you need to get checked if your showerhead is not clogged or if the pipes don’t have leaks. Sometimes, it can also be when the water valve is closed leading to low pressure. If you’ve renovated your home, you can check on this and see if it is what is causing it. You need to ensure all the water valves are open.
- Issue with the Mixing valve
Mixing valves are the ones that blend or mix both the hot and cold water while showering. When the mixing valve is rusty or is an old one, it can cause low pressure. It can be hard to detect on your own so reaching out to an experienced plumber is better.
Final Thoughts
These are just some of the causes of low water pressure and if you’re unable to figure out the reason yourself apart from these, always call the plumber.
Slow drips or weak pressure can be one of the most annoying things especially when you want to take a shower after a long day or early in the morning. But it doesn’t have to be that bad. Try detecting the issues listed above and see what best can be done to fix them. It takes a couple of hours to fix it unless it’s a bigger problem.