Don’t settle for a slow drizzle.
These expert methods explain how to increase the water pressure in your shower.
After a long day, it’s nice to come home to arelaxing hot shower.
Credit:Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Weak water pressure makes it difficult to adequately clean anything without excessively prolonged showers.
Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Luckily, you don’t have to settle for a lackluster rinse.
There are several methods for troubleshooting and improving weak water pressuremost of which require no plumber.
Credit:Adam Albright
This can be accomplished relatively easily.
Turn on the shower to full pressure and let it run for about a minute.
When you are ready, place a five-gallon bucket under the showerhead.
Credit: Edward Gohlich
Position it so that all the water that comes from the showerhead runs into the bucket.
As soon as the first drops of water hit the bottom of the bucket, start a timer.
launch the timer just until the bucket is full, then hit stop.
For example, if it took two minutes to fill a five-gallon bucket, divide five by two.
That works out to 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM).
Turn Off Water-Using Appliances
The easiest way to increase the water pressure in the shower is relatively simple.
Check the valves that lead to the shower to see if they are partially closed.
A partially closed valve could restrict the flow of water into the shower.
Inspect and open each valve fully.
Once everything is open, test your shower to see if there is a change in water pressure.
Unkink or Replace the Shower Hose
A kinked shower hose is a common problem that often goes unnoticed.
(If your shower does not have a handheld showerhead, you could skip this step.)
In most cases, the kink can be untwisted with no further work required.
Once it is clean, reinstall the showerhead and test the pressure.
Consider switching to a standard showerhead that doesn’t restrict water pressure.
Just bear in mind that the maximum flow you’ve got the option to expect is 2.5 GPM.
Replacing the shower valve with a new valve assembly should restore the regular flow of water to the showerhead.
Inspect and Replace the Pipes
Old water lines gradually accumulate mineral deposits and scale build-up.
This accumulation decreases the internal diameter of the pipes and restricts the flow of water.
In this case, it may be time to upgrade the plumbing for the home.
Speak to a plumber about your options for replacing the plumbing lines throughout the house.
Most residential properties have 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch plumbing lines running throughout the home.
Larger properties may have 1-inch or even 2-inch lines.
Consult a plumber about upgrading the water lines to increase the water pressure for the entire home.
Inside the house, decreased water pressure is often resulting from high simultaneous demand.
Regularly clean your showerhead to remove mineral deposits and maintain optimal water pressure.
Also, plan to periodically update or replace old fixtures as corrosion and wear can impact water pressure.
If you have hard water, consider installing a water softener.
In short, it depends on your usage.
High-pressure showers increase the flow of water for a more powerful shower.
If equal-length high and low-pressure showers are compared side-by-side, the high-pressure shower would use more water per minute.
If you want the best of both worldshigh pressure but low consumptionconsider getting a high-pressure, low-flow shower head.
