When you take a shower most of us look forward to the hot full streaming water pressure to enjoy a nice long shower. But sometimes low water pressure can interrupt our sense of serenity in our daily routine. Sometimes a flushing toilet or maybe using the dishwasher can cause low water pressure temporarily.

In some cases low water pressure becomes constant and its not just the running of other appliances or flushing a toilet but a much bigger problem that needs to be addressed. The professional staff at Streamline Plumbing can explain the cause of poor water pressure in the shower as well as how to fix low water pressure in your home.

Causes of Low Water Pressure in Showers

Like most plumbing problems there maybe more than one reason for low shower pressure. Getting the issue resolved starts with first determining the cause of the issue.

Streamline Plumbing will explain the common problems that affect the water pressure in your shower and how to resolve each one.

Malfunctioning Diverter Valve

Most houses have at least one shower bathtub combination. If you have this combination in your Orange County Home your shower/tub combo will have a diverter valve. The diverter valve is the switch or knob that diverts water from the tub spout to the shower head. Most of us use this switch or knob everyday when taking a shower in our shower/tub combo. After many years of use they tend to not work as well or stop working altogether. If you notice watering dripping from the tub spouts, maybe more than normal and when you turn the shower on you get very little water pressure the diverter valve might need to be replaced.

Replacing a diverter valve should always be done by a plumber, messing this up by doing a DYI project could result in more plumbing issues.

Pressure Balancing Valve

A pressure balancing valve is the know or switch that controls both the water temperature and the flow of the water in your shower head. This is what actually gets interrupted when someone flushes the toilet and the water pressure slows for a few minutes.

This types of valve works by combining the hot and cold water at specific levels. This means if the toilet gets flushed, the cold water will be diverted to fill the toilet tank, that results in a reduction in cold water pressure to the shower line. The water pressure will be reduced temporarily to to prevent a person from be burned by scalding water in the shower. Once the cold water returns the shower valve will increase the hot water pressure to match the cold again. If the valve is the problem a plumber needs to replace the pressure balancing valve.

Bad Mixing Valve

If you have a single knob faucet that has a thermostatic mixing valve instead of a pressure balancing valve water pressure issue can still happen. If the mixing valve becomes stuck or wears out from years of use, this can cause slower water pressure in your shower. The mixing valve is difficult to locate and replace so only a plumbing professional should attempt to locate and fix it.

Faulty Water Pressure Regulator

A water pressure regulator is a gauge that works to keep water pressure at a safe range, usually 40 to 80 PSI (pounds per square inch). If the water pressure regulator malfunctions all the water pressure throughout the plumbing system of your home can either be to high or to low. This gauge is usually located in the hone’s main water supply line and only a experienced plumber should attempt to remove and replace a bad water pressure regulator.

If you have a constant water pressure issue and it doesn’t seem to get better call Streamline Plumbing , we will come to your home and figure out what is causing your water pressure issue.

Obstructed or Broken Piping

This is the worst case scenario when it comes to low water pressure or any plumbing problem. A broken or obstructed pipe might not be noticeable right away. If you hear water running or dripping when all the water is off, or you notice water stains anywhere you should turn off the  water at the main valve. In this case if you have a broken or obstructed pipe you’ll need to place an emergency call to your plumber immediately. piping can erode and deteriorate after many years causing obstructions and breakage. The only solution is to replace the broken sections of pipe. At Streamline Plumbing we use the latest technology to locate the broken pipe and not have to dig up your whole yard.

A clogged showerhead

In some cases , low shower pressure can be caused by a simple clogged showerhead. Sometimes removing the showerhead and cleaning properly may usually fix this problem.

How to fix a clogged showerhead:

1. Unscrew the showerhead from the wall and soak it a cleaning solution for an hour or two. you can use things like Lime Away or CLR to remove soap scum and other debris that cause the showerhead to be clogged. If you can’t get the showerhead free fill a plastic bag with cleaning solution and secure it over the fixture with a rubber band.
2. remove it from the solution and clean all the nozzles in the showerhead with an old toothbrush or other scrub brush.
3. If you notice mold on or inside the shower head you’ll need to clean with bleach as well to kill the mold.
4. rinse the clean showerhead and reinstall it.

This should be an easy fix to low water pressure from a clogged showerhead. If your showerhead is on the older side it might be time to replace it with  a new one.

Low Water Pressure , Plumbing and Sewer Repairs

Fixing a clogged showerhead by cleaning it and replacing it is easy and can be done by any homeowner, however replacing a broken valve or busted pipe should be left to the professionals. Only experienced licensed plumbers should mess with larger plumbing issues.

Streamline Plumbing has over 25 years as plumbing professionals in Orange County. No job is to big or to small. we offer free estimates and second opinions on any plumbing job.

Streamline Plumbing offer 24 hour emergency service in all Orange County areas. Our team of professional plumber are trained with the latest tools to fix your plumbing needs in the most efficient way possible.