Troubleshooting the Causes of Low Water Pressure From Your Shower
Posted on: 27 October 2017
Part of enjoying taking a shower is feeling the jet of pressurised water cascading down your body. Therefore, any loss of water pressure, no matter how minimal it is, can significantly influence the quality of your shower and strip you of your enjoyment. The thing to note about water pressure problems in your shower is that they will only get progressively worse if you choose to ignore them. Thus, it would be best to try to troubleshoot the cause and enlist plumbing repairs as need be. Below are the two primary components that have an impact on your shower's water pressure.
A malfunctioning diverter valve
If your shower is located inside a bathtub, then you will have a diverter valve. The primary function of the diverter valve is to redirect water to either the bathtub's faucet or your showerhead, depending on what your immediate preferences are. However, diverter valves are not known to last forever.
If your shower and bathtub combo is advanced in years, there is a high likelihood that the internal components of the valve are beyond their shelf life, making the hardware lose its ability to open fully. The resulting problem can manifest in two main ways.
For one, you may find that the pressure of either your showerhead or your bathtub faucet is affected while the other one remains at optimum. Conversely, you could experience low water pressure no matter which faucet you are using. A professional plumber should inspect the diverter valve, discern what diagnosis fits the problem, and then advise you on which repairs would be prudent to restore water pressure to your shower.
A malfunctioning pressure-balancing valve
An obscure component in your shower that is typically overlooked is the pressure-balancing valve. This plumbing hardware is usually in the form of a handle or a knob. Not only is it responsible for facilitating an optimum mix of hot and cold water, but it can also be designed to balance the water pressure and water flow.
If the valve has come loose or has acquired mechanical damage in some way, it loses its ability to control your water pressure. You then begin to experience a dip in the volume of water, which can make taking a shower quite miserable. You may want to have your local plumber check whether repairs would be sufficient to restore its functionality or whether a replacement would be necessary instead.
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