Coming back home after a hard day at work and enjoying a nice warm shower is soothing. However, low-pressure water flow can really spoil your shower and even irritate you. So, the question is, can a shower head increase water pressure?
Showerheads can increase water pressure by either aerating the water or compressing it before releasing it out of the jets. However, this only happens with high-pressure showerheads since they are designed to remove more water.
The rest of this article shall discuss other topics directly related to this question to give you a clearer understanding. Keep reading to learn ways of increasing your showerhead’s water pressure. Let’s dive right in.
How to Increase Water Pressure in Your Shower Head
There are different ways of increasing water pressure in your showerhead, and some of them will demand that you spend some money.
However, it is wise to start with the simple and cheap ways first and see if they will work. If they don’t, look for other solutions. Here are some ways of increasing water pressure in your showerhead:
Clean Your Shower Head
This step is the first thing to do before rushing to the stores to buy a new showerhead.
A shower head might have low pressure due to dirt or sand. Such particles can accumulate and block your shower head, hence the need to clean it to increase the water velocity.
Here are the steps you can follow when cleaning your shower head:
- Remove the showerhead.
- Dip the showerhead into vinegar and baking soda mix for about 30 minutes.
- Remove and rinse it thoroughly with clean water while scrubbing.
- Use a brush to get rid of any blockages that could be remaining.
If you can’t detach the showerhead, no worries, you can still clean it when intact. Simply fill a sandwich bag with vinegar and attach it to the showerhead using a rubber band. Let it stay there for about 10 minutes before removing it and using a brush to scrub the head.
Using vinegar to clean your shower comes in handy in breaking some of the sediment and removing limescale, thus allowing water to flow effortlessly as you shower.
Remove the Water Flow Restrictor
Recently, many showerhead manufacturers have been designing showerheads with water restrictors. They do this to help customers avoid huge water bills and guard their environment.
Nevertheless, if your home doesn’t have enough water, the restrictors will add to the inconvenience caused by the low water pressure that’s already there. The solution is to remove the water flow restrictor to increase the amount of water flowing to your shower head.
Check for Kinks
Kinks can significantly affect the flow of water in your shower head. They could be in the water line or hose, and that’s why it’s critical to check for them. This is more so if your shower has a flexible line instead of pipes.
Alternatively, if your shower head is handheld, ensure the hose is not twisted. By doing this, the water will flow at higher pressure, and you will enjoy showering.
Flush the Water Heater
Sometimes water heaters are blocked by debris, which affects the water flow to the showerhead. Sediments could have also blocked the pipes connected to it.
The solution is to drain your water heater and have all the lines flushed out. This should help eliminate all the residues in the pipe and significantly increase the water pressure.
Install a Shower Pump
This alternative might come in handy more so if the other solutions have not worked.
Installing a shower pump helps increase water pressure. The only downside is that it’s costly. You will also have to get a plumbing professional to install the pump if you do not have professional skills in the area.
One example of a great shower pump is the ZHKUO High-Pressure Booster Pump (Amazon). Its best feature is the ability to pump water from one or two floors below; hence even showers on higher floors can have high water pressure like lower floors.
The ZHKUO booster pump is also easy to install, so you won’t need to hire a plumber.
Check for Leakage
Besides affecting the water pressure, leaking pipes can cause structural and cosmetic damage to your house.
Check for any leaks within your home when you start experiencing low water pressure. If you notice any, it’s time to call a plumber to fix them and prevent further damage.
Shower During Off-Peak Hours
If you are not ready to spend money on fixing low-pressure showerhead issues, taking a shower during off-peak hours is a solution you can consider.
Generally, most people shower in the morning as they prepare to go to work while the kids get ready for school. Additionally, many people also shower in the evenings after a long day of work.
Water pressure will be lower during these peak times due to the high water demand. And that is why choosing to shower during off-peak hours can help you have higher water pressure from your showerhead.
Adjust Showerhead Settings
Does your showerhead feature adjustable spray settings or flow patterns? The most common settings are:
- High-pressure jet
- Rainfall
- Gentle spray
- Blast
- Fire-hose-like drench
If your showerhead has such settings, then yours may be a simple issue to fix. It could be that the setting in place is what’s producing a low-pressure jet from the head. To fix this, simply reset the spray settings in order to get a higher pressure.
The best time to adjust the settings is when the water is running to achieve your preferred showerhead water pressure.
To Sum Up
In summary, yes, showerheads can increase water pressure by aerating and compressing the water. However, you can also increase water pressure by cleaning your showerhead by following our outlined steps.
In addition, you can increase the water pressure by removing the water flow restrictor, flushing the water heater, checking for kinks, or installing a new one.
These ways will ensure that your shower head has enough pressure; thus, you can enjoy showering.
