How to Increase Water Pressure in Shower

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If you are searching for how to increase water pressure in shower then you are in right place. In the morning or evening after a long hectic day, you want a hot water bath to relieve all fatigue but when you turn the shower on and you get low water pressure from it, you can imagine how frustrating it would be.

In low water pressure, you can’t wash your body properly. A bad bathing experience in the morning can ruin your whole day. There could be many reasons for low water pressure in the shower and in this article, we will discuss all the reasons and their solutions in detail.

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Reason for Low Water Pressure in Shower

There are many reasons for low water pressure in the showerhead. To get a proper shower experience you need to solve low water pressure issues in the shower. If you know the proper reason for low water pressure then you can apply the right solution for it and problems will be solved quickly.

The reason for low water pressure in the shower would be old plumbing lines in your house. In earlier times people used to use iron pipes for plumbing systems in the house. Iron is not a rust-proof material.

When iron comes in contact with water it starts creating rust and corrosion on its body. Due to rust holes are formed on the body of pipes or maybe pipes get choked from inside. So, you get low water pressure from the shower.

Nowadays shower manufacturers are using flow restrictors in showerheads. Water is an important element of the earth and everyone should save water.

In showers, lots of water gets wasted so shower manufacturers start using flow restrictors in it. Flow restrictor controls the water pressure in showers.

Apart from saving water, a flow restrictor also saves your water bill.

Many countries have energy-saving acts so according to that acts, shower manufacturers have to restrict the flow of water in the showerhead.

Another reason for the low water pressure in the shower is the old pipeline of the municipality’s water supply. You can’t do anything in this situation because this problem is caused by the government side. When they will change the pipeline then you would get high water pressure in the shower.

Related – How to Fix Low Water Pressure in Kitchen Sink Faucet?

How to Test Low Water Pressure in Shower?

How to Increase Water Pressure in Shower?

Below we are giving 13 solutions to increase water pressure in the shower. You should try all the solutions one by one. To make your mood refresh after a long tiring day, you need a high-water pressure shower system. All the solutions described below will not make your pocket empty.

Clean Scale Build-up From Shower Head

The first step to increasing water pressure in the shower is to clean your shower head. Tap water contains lots of minerals so with time due to scale build holes in the showerhead get blocked.

To clean scale build-up you can use vinegar. Remove the showerhead and submerge the showerhead into the vinegar for at least 7-8 hours. After soaking clean nozzles with a figure or toothbrush so any remaining sediment will be wiped out from the nozzle.

Check Diverter Valve

Lots of people use a common pipeline for showerheads and bathtub faucets. For this arrangement, you need a diverter. Diverter changes the water flow from showerhead to bathtub faucet or vice versa.

When you use the showerhead turn the diverter valve fully towards the flow of shower water and check still there is water coming out from the faucet. If yes then you need to change the diverter.

Changing the diverter is not a difficult task. You need to remove the screw of it and pull out it. Put a new diverter and tighten the screws.

Remove Flow Restrictor

Water is limited on earth to keep this thing in mind nowadays many showers are coming with a flow restrictor. As the name suggests, a flow restrictor restricts the flow of water so you get low water pressure.

Flow restrictor saves water and also saves your water bill. It is specially designed to save money and water.

Due to the water restriction, you can’t get high water pressure in the shower.

If you are living in a low water pressure area and your shower has a flow restrictor then water pressure in the shower goes to an extremely low level.

If you want to remove the flow restrictor from the shower then it is simple. In the user manual, you get detailed instructions about how to remove the flow restrictor from the shower to increase water pressure. You can also call the customer care of shower manufacturers so they will help you to remove the flow restrictor.

See the below video to know how to remove the flow restrictor.

Check In-Line Shut-Off Valves

The next solution to increase water pressure in the shower is to check the inline shut-off valves. Inline shut-off valves are used to turn off the water supply for the shower or bathroom. It is useful when you do any plumbing work in the bathroom and don’t want to stop the water supply for the whole house.

Shut-off valves are likely to be placed at the start of the bathroom water supply.

This valve is used for emergencies. If the valve is not fully opened then you get low water pressure in the shower. The check valve is fully open or not? Full open it and check the water pressure in the shower.

Check the Main Valve of the House

Like the shut-off valve, the main valve also causes a low water pressure problem in the shower.

There may be different reasons for the main valve is not fully open Maybe recently in your house plumbing work is done but the plumber forgot to fully open the main valve or you have moved into a new house and the old owner of that house kept the main valve partly open.

It may be turned off due to any reason but after work, it is not fully turned on. You can find the main water valve at the entrance of your house or start the water supply to your house. Turn it anti-clockwise and open it to its full capacity.

Repair Leaks

Due to the old pipeline, you may face leaking problems in the shower. When any pipe leaks internally then it reduces the water pressure all over the house.

You need to call a plumber to find and repair any leakage in the pipeline. It may be time-consuming and expensive work but it will increase water pressure in the shower and also keep your house safe from any water damage. Use Teflon tape on the faucet supply lines to prevent leakage.

Remove Kinks

If you are using a handheld showerhead then you would have a flexible pipe for the showerhead. Sometimes due to kinks in the shower pipe water pressure reduces.

Remove all the twists from the pipe and check if there is any leakage or not in the shower pipe. If the shower pipe is not becoming straight then replace it with a new one.

Check Hot Water Valve

If the water pressure in cold water is perfect but in hot water pressure is not perfect then there is a problem with the hot water valve. Check whether it is fully open or not, if not, then open it.

You can use the user manual if you don’t know how to turn on the hot water valve.

Flush Hot Water Heater

In a hot water heater, tank pipes may be blocked by sediments or debris. People don’t clean hot water tanks ever and it becomes a reason for low water pressure in the shower.

To increase water pressure in the shower you need to clean the hot water heater tank at regular intervals.

This is not a difficult process on the user manual you can get instructions about flushing hot water heaters and also you can talk to the customer support of the shower manufacturer so they will guide you.

Install High-Pressure Shower Head

If you have tried all solutions mentioned above and still water pressure is low then you should change the showerhead. If you have an old-style shower head then there is a chance that due to its minimal area and fewer adjustment feature, you get low water pressure.

Nowadays shower manufacturers are building showers to work in even low water pressure areas. These showers are not expensive and also, and they increase water pressure. They are specially designed to give high water pressure.

Install Shower Pump

This should be the last solution on your list because it is an expensive solution. People use a shower pump to boost the pressure in the shower.

It will cost you more than replacing a shower. You can take advice from your plumber about a shower pump so you can buy a good shower pump at an affordable price.

Change the Timing of Taking a Shower

In the morning most people take bath. At this time due to the use of much water in all houses, sometimes water pressure reduces.

Children have to go to school and adults have to go to the office so all want to take bath it increases the demand for water and as result, all people get low water pressure. To avoid such problems, you should change the timing of your bathing so you get high water pressure in the shower.

Turn Off Other Water Appliances in The House

We use many water appliances at the same time in the house. For someone who is washing dishes in the kitchen and someone is taking bath in the bathroom and if you have a low water pressure issue in your area then definitely you get low water pressure in the shower.

To increase water pressure in the shower, stop all other water appliances like washing machines, kitchen faucets, dishwashers, and any others.

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How to Increase Hot Water Pressure in Shower?

Sometimes water pressure in a shower reduces only hot water and people who take bath in cold water can’t recognize the hot water pressure issues because they rarely open the hot water valve.

To check water pressure, turn the hot and cold-water valves in one position one by one and check the pressure. You can see that when you turn the valve towards the hot water side the water comes out with low pressure.

In the USA every state has its own GPM rate so shower manufacturers build showers according to it. At the federal level, it’s mandated for manufacturers to keep the GPM at 2.5 but it varies per state in California.

You know Colorado has a 2.0 gallons per minute flow rate and New York City’s at a 2.0 GPM flow rate and that’s just to help everyone conserve water.

To maintain water pressure shower comes with a flow restrictor valve.

Now let’s see how to remove the flow restrictor from the showerhead and increase hot water pressure in the shower.

• First, remove the showerhead from the line.
• Now grab a screwdriver and put its flat tip on the little O-ring and pump it out that O-ring and that restrictor come right out.
• This restrictor conserves water. It slows down the flow rate.
• Go ahead and put the O-ring back in the little gasket.
• Grab your showerhead hook it back up and then turn it back on to see if the waterfall increases.

If still, you see low water pressure in the shower then move towards the next step.

Check the water pressure coming in from the city into your house. You can purchase any pressure checker online and PSI index in that if it shows between 60 to 80 then the area water pressure is right.

If the water pressure is right for municipal water then maybe the shower cartridge or the pressure balance valve has some problem.

The cartridge is placed behind the rubber cover. In order to get it, you have to remove the rubber cover and handle first. Use the hex key for this. You can use a 2.5 mm hex key or Allen wrench to remove it. There would be a screw around it so remove those screws.

The water valve controls both the temperature and the volume of the water on the left side. You need a set screw that controls the hot water on the right side. You need another dowel or set screw that controls the cold water.

Just a bit to see if it works to turn it anti-clockwise or left on the cold side and move one time because don’t have that many issues with pressure on the cold water side but on the hotline. Now go back counterclockwise or to the left a few times to see if that helps with increasing our water pressure also try to look to see if maybe it starts leaking water. Now put the liver back in place so that we can turn it on.

After the whole process when you check the water pressure, you will see that the water pressure is increased. So, this is the whole method to increase hot water pressure in the shower.

Is High Water Pressure Necessary?

Most people take baths daily, for it, they use the shower. The requirement for high water pressure depends on the people’s choice.

After a long hectic day, a hot water shower makes your body relax. For better washing high water pressure is essential.  People use showers in the bathroom more regularly than in any other area of the bathroom.

High water pressure in the shower is necessary to wash the body properly and to relieve the fatigue of the day. If you are facing a slow water pressure issue in the shower and want to increase water pressure in the shower then use of given tips in this article about high water pressure.

How to Increase Water Pressure in Shower Head in the Apartment?

What you’re probably experiencing is very little shower flow. it is for preventing overuse of water or conserving water and a lot of homes especially here in the USA are using this type of shower.

What people face with slow water pressure issues is that water comes through the pipe quickly but slows down right behind the head of the shower into a filter which goes and it actually slows down the flow.

This slowdown occurs due to water restrictions or filters. Check in the showerhead whether it contains a water restrictor or not. Water restrictor slows down the water pressure so you don’t get high water pressure in the shower to wash your hair or body.

This hack will be good for your hotels if you’re doing a long-term stay just remove the shower filter spring and you will get high water pressure in the shower.

Do I Need a Plumber to Increase Water Pressure in Shower?

We have shown many steps to increase water pressure in the shower and most of those steps you can do personally without taking the help of a plumber. For a few methods to increase water pressure in the shower, you may need to take the help of a plumber.

If you can’t determine the reason for low water pressure, you should call a plumber to investigate the reason if there is an underground leakage, a plumber can easily find it and fix the leaking issue.

Conclusion

After reading the article now you know how to increase water pressure in shower. We have discussed different methods to increase water pressure in a shower with well water.

All methods are DIY processes so you can try them to fix low water pressure issues in the shower. You don’t have to spend much money on these methods. After trying all methods personally, we have created this guide for our readers. We love to hear any suggestions from you in the comment section.

Ralph Matthews

Meet Ralph Matthews, father of 2 cute daughters and a skilled plumber with over 10 years of experience in the industry. Ralph has particular expertise in repairing any type of faucet and has helped countless homeowners and businesses solve their plumbing problems with his expert knowledge and attention to detail.